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AN 



ELEMENTARY HISTORY OF 
THE UNITED STATES 



ly 



SIBYL DUNN WARDEN, A. B. 

w 

Editor of Oklahoma School Herald 

Formerly German and History Department 

High School, Oklahoma City: 

Chair of German, Eptcorth University 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 



WARDEN COMPANY 

Oklahoma City 

1914 



El /h 

.3 



COPYRIGHT, 1914 

— BY — 

S. R. WARDEN 



FEB -5 1914 



I.A:i62461 



PREFACE 

In the preparation of this text-book the need of the child 
has been kept constantly in mind. It is not uncommon to find 
histories, intended for children, that contain much matter in a 
little space while the child requires a little matter in much 
space. This book has been written with the thought of giving 
the child the proper perspective of our nation's history and 
with this thought the important events have been told con- 
nectedly and in detail. Material unsuited to the understand- 
ing of the child has been omitted. The old method of passing 
over the same subject two or three times in the grades, each 
time enlarging on the subject, has been avoided. 

This text is in harmony with the modern idea of the inter- 
pretation of events rather than a bald statement of facts. The 
European background has been kept in mind and an intelli- 
gent and helpful use of this knowledge appears in appropriate 
places throughout the book. Proper emphasis has been placed 
on the importance of the development of the west and of the 
great ]\Iississippi Valley. Military details have been either 
omitted or lightly passed over, as the horrors of the battle-field 
are unsuited to the child that we would rear in the atmosphere 
of peace. 

The illustrations have been selected because of their his- 
torical and cultural value. Only those pictures that are helpful 
and inspiring have been introduced. The two colors by the 
duotype process have been employed because a beautiful book 
in the hands of a child, one that he owns and handles every 
day, will have a greater influence for good upon his character 
than many pictures placed upon the walls. 

It is a pleasure to acknowledge my indebtedness to those 
who have assisted me by their helpful suggestions and criti- 
cisms. 

Sibyl Dunn Warden. 
Oklahoma Citv, Oklahoma. 



TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS WHO 
ARE SOON TO LEND A HAND IN 
SHAPING THE FUTURE DESTINIES 
OF OUR COUNTRY, THIS BOOK IS 
DEDICATED. 



CONTENTS 

DISCOVERY 

The Veil Between the Oed World and the New 1 

Christopher Columbus 1 5 

Columbus Seeking Aid 8 

The Preparation and Voyage 14 

The Discovery of the New World 19 

The Return 25 

The Arrival 28 

Other Voyages and Settlements 32 

The Last Voyage 36 

The Cabots 38 

Naming the New World 42 

EXPLORERS 

Ponce de Leon 44 

Ferdinand de Soto 47 

James Cartier 51 

Henry Hudson 56 

SETTLEMENTS 

Seeds of Trouble in Conflicting Claims-__ 60 

Sir Walter Raleigh 63 

First Permanent English Colony 73 

Captain John Smith 76 

First New England Colony 80 



XII Conte:nts 

King Philip's War 88 

The Dutch in America 92 

William Penn ^102 

The Last of the English Colonies 109 

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 

The Thirteen Colonies 113 

New France in America 122 

JoLiET AND Marquette - 125 

Robert de La Salle 129 

The French and Indian War 132 

English Match Arms with French and Indians 143 

REVOLUTION 

The Growth of Independence 149 

The Stamp Act 152 

Boston the Center of Activities 157 

Benjamin Franklin 164 

Franklin in Philadelphia 171 

The First Day of the Revolution 181 

Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Army 188 

SISTERHOOD OF STATES 

How Our Government was Formed • 208 

What They Did and How It Became the Law 212 

George Washington,, Our First President 216 

EXPANSION 

Thomas Jefferson 225 

The Purchase of Louisiana 229 



CONTEJNTS XIII 

Lewis and Ci.ark Explore: thk Nkw Territory 237 

Beginnings oe the Second War with England 244 

How THE War Was Managed 249 

Andrew Jackson 257 

Eli Whitney 261 

Robert Fulton 264 

Samuel F. B. Morse 266 

Remember the Alamo 271 

War with Mexico 275 

CIVIL STRIFE 

Abraham Lincoln 283 

Robert E. Lee 292 

Ulysses S. Grant 297 

NATIONAL PROSPERITY 

The Atlantic Cable 301 

The Purchase of Alaska 306 

Trouble with Spain 309 

The Hawaiian Islands 316 

The Panama Canal 318 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

Map of Caravan Eoutes 2 

The World as then Known_ 3 

Christopher Columbus 5 

Columbus Before the Council of Learned Men 9 

Columbus Eeceived by the Queen 11 

The Three Vessels 15 

Columbus on Board the Santa Maria 17 

The Landing 20 

The Eoute of Columbus 22 

Columbus Eeceived by Ferdinand and Isabella 30 

Columbus in Chains 34 

Sebastian Cabot 40 

Americus Vespucius 42 

De Soto's Discovery of the Mississippi Eiver 48 

Descending the Mississippi Eiver 49 

Cartier at Montreal 53 

Henry Hudson 56 

Henry Hudson at Manhattan Island 57 

Last Voyage of Henry Hudson 58 

Boyhood of Sir Walter Ealeigh 63 

Eoanoke Island 66 

Jamestown , 74 

Old Euins at Jamestown 75 

Statue of Captain John Smith 76 

Building Homes at Jamestown 77 

Departure from Holland 80 

The Mayflower in the Harbor 82 

Signing the Compact 83 

Landing of the Pilgrims 84 

Going to Church 85 

Brewster 's Chair 86 

Map of Plymouth 87 

King Philip 88 

Map of Dutch Settlement . 92 

A Colonist in Armor 93 

Building Homes in New York 94 

Peter Stuyvesant 98 

William Penn 102 



Illustrations xv 

Page 

Penn's Treaty with the Indians 107 

Spinning Flax ]15 

An Early Meeting House 117 

Colonial Dame Who was Fined for Absence from Church 118 

A Winter Scene in New France 122 

Map of the Great Northwest 123 

La Salle 129 

The Half-King 132 

General Wolfe 146 

Shilling Stamp 152 

Stamp 153 

William Pitt 155 

Old South Church 160 

Samuel Adams 161 

Benjamin Franklin 164 

Franklin's Press 173 

Flying a Kite 176 

Drafting the Declaration of Independence 178 

Minute-Man 181 

Paul Eevere's Ride 183 

Monument to Minute-Men 184 

Monument and Bridge at Concord 185 

Independence Hall 189 

Washington Elm 190 

Washington's Headquarters 191 

Medal Given to Washington 193 

Liberty Bell 194 

Signing the Declaration of Independence 195 

Crossing the Delaware 196 

Washington's Camp Chest 197 

Surrender of General Burgoyne 198 

Marquis de Lafayette 199 

Paul Jones 200 

The First Naval Battle 201 

Francis Marion 202 

Surrender of Cornwallis 204 

Washington and His Generals 205 

Mount Vernon 206 

Map at Close of Eevolution 207 

George Washington 216 

Washington on a White Horse 218 

Triumphal Arch 219 



XVI Illustrations 

Page 

Inauguration of Washington 221 

Washington's Chair 222 

Washington and Lafayette 223 

Thomas Jefferson 225 

John Adams 227 

D 'Iberville, First French Governor 229 

Don de Ulloa, First Spanish Governor 230 

Napoleon Bonaparte 231 

The Cabildo in 1792 233 

The Cabildo in 1914 234 

C. C. Claiborne 235 

Map of United States before Purchase of Louisiana 235 

Map of United States after Purchase of Louisiana 236 

Yellowstone Falls 238 

Meriwether Lewis 239 

William Clark 240 

Monticello 241 

Fort Dearborn 250 

The Constitution and Guerriere 252 

Andrew Jackson 257 

Eli Whitney 261 

Kobert Fulton 264 

The Clermont 265 

Samuel F. B. Morse 266 

The Alamo 272 

Map of Annexation of Texas 274 

Winfield Scott 276 

Scott in the City of Mexico 279 

Map of the Newly Acquired Territory 281 

Abraham Lincoln 283 

Lincoln's Home at Springfield 287 

Lincoln at Home 288 

Robert E. Lee 292 

Lee on His Horse ''Traveler" 295 

Ulysses S. Grant 297 

Grant's Birthplace 298 

Cyrus W. Field 301 

The Great Eastern at Heart's Content 305 

Mount McKinley 306 

Map of Alaska 307 

The "Maine" entering Havana Harbor 310 

George Dewey 311 

Cuba Given the Protection of the United States 314 

The Culebra Cut, Panama Canal 319 



DISCOVERY 

THE \^EIL BETWEEN THE OLD WORLD 
AND THE NEW 

Our loved America, lying midway between Eu- 
rope and Asia with the waters of the Atlantic lash- 
ing its eastern shore and those of the Pacific bath- 
ing its western shore, is the same continent that it 
was when no civilized man knew of its existence. 
All unknown it lay, stretching from the Arctic al- 
inost to the Antarctic Circle with a width of over 
three thousand miles from its eastern to its western 
coast. The same great rivers ran through its val- 
leys, the same mountain tops were kissed by the 
morning suns and the same valleys were bathed 
with the evening dews but they were nameless for 
no one had as yet seen them to give them a name. 

It is indeed strange how our country came to be 
found but there is no myth connected with it as 
there is with many of the countries of the Old 
World. There is a reason why everything hap- 
pened just as it did. The people of the Old World 
used to get spices and jewels and silks from India 
by caravans, but the Turks had grown so powerful 
that they would not allow these precious goods to 



History of the: United States 



cross their country and so the people of Europe 
were forced to seek some other way of reaching 
India. It was not known whether the earth were 
really round or flat. Some said that if the earth 
were round and they should sail to the other side 
that they could never sail up again, and others 




MAP OF CARAVAN ROUTES 



feared that if it were flat that they might sail over 
its edge. These fears now seem very strange to us 
since w^e have sailed around the world. 

Long before Columbus lived there was a wise 
man who said, ' ' The world as known to us is really 
an island hdng in the midst of the Atlantic. Prob- 
ably there are other similar worlds, some larger 
than ours, separated from it by the sea.'' But the 



Discovery 3 

people of the Old World were so biisv with their 
wars and with their work in their own countries 
that they had not listened to the words of the wise 
old man. As the years passed people became more 
and more anxious to reach the eastern coast of 
Asia and to carry back to their own country the 
treasures of far away India. There must be found 
a shorter route to India and sailors were now will- 
ing to risk their lives to find it. The terrors of 
the sea were now forgotten in the one desire to win 
the glory of finding this shorter way. 




THE WORLD AS THEN KNOWN 



4 History of the United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

Locate on your map or globe the Old World. 

Show how people used to go from Europe to India. 

Explain what caravan means. 

Who are meant by the Turks? 

Difficult words — continent, treasures, terror, civilized, myth. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

A waterway to India was sought because the people of Eu- 
rope wanted to trade with the people of India, and the Turks 
would not allow them to go by land. 



Discovery 



CHRISTOPHER COLU.MBUS 
He Discovered the Nezv World and Knezv It Not 



Everyone who accomplishes any truly great 
thing must have had preparation for doing that 
thing. This is true of 
Christopher Columbus. 
We are told that even 
when he was a small boy, 
he was fond of the water, 
and that when fourteen 
years of age he began to 
sail on the sea. When he 
was a young boy he 
helped his father at the 
wool combing business at 
Genoa in Italy, but later, 
when he became a man, 
he made his living by 
d rawing charts and 
maps when he was not 
making voyages on the 
ocean. He had two brothers and a sister, all 
younger than himself. 

When he was a young man he went to Portugal 
to live. Prince Henry, the son of the king of 
Portugal, was greatly interested in navigation. He 
founded a naval college and secured the help of 
the most learned professors of navigation. It was 
not long until the Portuguese seamen became noted 




CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



6 History of the; United States 

for their long voyages for they had been taught to 
use the compass and an instrument called the 
astrolabe by which they could tell how far they 
were from the equator by finding the altitude of the 
sun. Prince Henry believed that the eastern coast 
of Asia could be reached by sailing around the 
southern point of Africa, but he did not think that 
Africa extended as far south as it really does. It 
was not until after his death that a voyager, Vasco 
Da Gama, really did sail around the Cape of Good 
Hope. Prince Henry did so much for navigation 
that the discoveries of his seamen along the coast 
of Africa were the wonder of the world. He has 
been called the prince who had ^Hhe talent to do 
good." The great interest among the Portuguese 
in navigation only helped to enthuse Columbus in 
his plans. His ideas differed from those of Prince 
Henry for he believed that he could sail directly 
west and reach eastern Asia. 

While Columbus lived at Lisbon, the Portuguese 
capital, he attended religious services at a little 
chapel where he met the lady. Dona Felipa, who 
afterwards became his wife. Her father had been 
a famous navigator under Prince Henry and all 
his charts were given to Columbus. In this way 
he had an opportunity to know what the Portu- 
guese had done, but he was not inclined to copy 
after them for he had original ideas which he 
wanted to prove. He had eagerly read and studied 
about the then known world and he believed that 



Discovery 7 

only a short voyage to the Avest would bring him to 
the eastern shore of Asia. He felt that it was now 
his duty to try to know the truth about he earth and 
the proposed shorter way to India. He was too 
poor to undertake it without help so he decided to 
ask the ruler of some country to aid him, for truly 
it seemed to him an undertaking worthy of any 
king. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Locate on a globe or map the following countries : Italy, 
Portugal, Spain. 

Find the Cape of Good Hope ; also find India. 

Show how the caravans used to go from India to Europe. 

Make a list of the articles that the caravans brought to the 
Black Sea. 

Difficult words — preparation, navigation, astrolabe, compass, 
mariner. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
The True Story of Christopher Columbus. — {Brooks.) 

SO^IETHING TO REMEMBER 

Columbus when a boy helped his father. He was obedient 
to his parents. He was born near the shores of the Mediter- 
ranean and trained for the sea. 



8 History of thk Unitkd Statks 

COLUMBUS SEEKING AID 
He Offered to Kings the Discovery of a Nezv World 

While Columbus lived in Portugal lie read wliat 
the ancieuts had written about geography and 
made a careful study of the then recent discoveries. 
You must remember that now they had printing 
presses, and the records, which had been accessible 
to only a few, were now being printed and were 
being read by a greater number of people. He 
read about the travels of Marco Polo, the famous 
Italian, who, two hundred years before, had jour- 
neyed through the countries of the far east and 
had visited at the palace of the Great Khan or 
sovereign of Tartary. The interior of this great 
palace shone with gold and silver and in it were 
precious stones and beautiful vases. The Kahn's 
winter residence was in the province of Cathay, 
which we now call a part of China. 

At last Columbus decided to seek help from King 
John II, who had recently become the king of 
Portugal. The king remembered the interest 
which his uncle. Prince Henry, had taken in the 
voyages along the shores of Africa. He called a 
council of the learned men of his country and asked 
their advice, whether he should continue their 
old plan or should adopt the new idea, which 



DiSCOVKRY 9 

Columbus had, of sailing directly west. The coun- 
cil did not ai3proYe of the new plan l3ut King John 
still felt that there might be something gained by 
making the voyage as Columbus suggested. He 
was anxious that his country should have the glory 
of the new discoveries but he was not willing to 




COLUMBUS BEFORE THE COUNCIL OF LEARNED MEN 



reward Columbus. To show that he was still in- 
terested in the undertaking, he asked Columbus to 
give him the charts and the exact plan of the way 
that he intended to sail. Then, without telling 
Columbus, he started out a vessel with secret orders 
to follow the way Columbus had mapped out. The 



10 Hi'iTORY OF the: United States 

men whom lie sent did not have the courage and 
perseverance of Columbus, and, after they had 
sailed toward the west for a few days and saw only 
a vast stretch of tumbling waves, they became dis- 
couraged and turned back. They laughed at the 
idea and said that it was unreasonable to think of 
finding land in those waters. Columbus was hurt 
by being deceived by the king and he decided to 
leave Portugal. His wife having died, he took his 
little son and went to Spain. When he reached 
Spain, he found it impossible to get even an audi- 
ence with the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella. They were busy directing their war against 
the Moors and had no time to listen to a supposed 
visionary scheme of a poor seaman. While Colum- 
bus was waiting, he was busy explaining his plan 
to men of influence at the court. At last Ferdinand 
decided to ask for the opinion of the most learned 
men in his kingdom and to be guided by their de- 
cision. Columbus met with the learned scholars. 
They advanced many theories to discourage him in 
his undertaking. They said the circumference of 
the earth was so great that it would require at 
least three years to make the voyage and that it 
would be impossible to carry provisions to last that 
length of time. They even tried to make Columbus 
believe that it was wicked for him to try to pene- 
trate the mysteries of nature. Many of his listen- 
ers were convinced by his reasoning, but nothing 
was done to promote his cause with the king. 



DiSCOVKRY 



11 



The months slipped into years and still Colum- 
bus had not been told that he would receive the 
help which he so much desired. He decided that 
he would leave Spain and go to France. One 
morning he stopped at a little convent named La 
I?abida near the town of Palos to ask for some 
bread and water for his little boy. They had been 
traveling on foot, for Columbus was now too poor 
to own even a mule. The prior was so impressed 



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COLUMBUS RECEIVED BY THE QUEEN 



with the appearance and with the conversation of 
Columbus that he invited him to remain as his 
guest until he could send a letter to Queen Isabella. 
This was the beginning of better days for Colum- 
bus for after fourteen days the prior received a 
reply from the queen asking him to come to the 
court. There was great joy at the little convent 



12 History of the Unitkd Statks 

and the kind-hearted prior set out for the court be- 
fore midnight. On his arrival he told the queen 
all about Columbus and how he might bring great 
glory to the Spanish crown. She then requested 
that Columbus should come and she sent him 
money enough to buy him a mule for his journey 
and some clothing suitable to appear before the 
king and queen. 

On his arrival the queen received him most 
graciously and it seemed that his troubles were at 
an end, but the king and queen were not willing to 
grant him all that he asked. He was thoroughly 
discouraged but still determined. Taking leave of 
his friends, he mounted his mule and started for 
France. When his friends saw that he was really 
going to leave their country they asked for an audi- 
ence with the king and queen. They explained to 
them that the things which Columbus exacted were 
as nothing compared to the glory which his dis- 
coveries might bring to their country. Queen Isa- 
bella was deeply interested and said that she was 
willing to undertake the enterprise ; but King Fer- 
dinand thought that they should wait until their 
kingdom had recovered from the heavy expense of 
the war with the Moors. At last Queen Isabella 
thought of another way of raising the money and 
she said that she would pledge her jewels to raise 
the funds necessary for the enterprise. A messen- 
ger was sent to overtake Columbus and to tell him 
to return to the court. He at first hesitated, but, 



DiscovE;Ry 13 

on being told that the queen ha J given her positive 
promise, he turned his mule and rode back to the 
court. He was so kindly received that it helped 
him to forget his disappointments and an agree- 
ment was signed by Ferdinand and Isabella, giving 
him authority to make his voyage. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Tell what you can about Marco Polo. 

What countries had Columbus now visited? 

Who deceived Columbus? Explain what is meant by the 
circumference of anything. 

Tell the story of Columbus and his little boy. 

Difficult words — scientist, approve, perseverance, visionary, 
tl^eory, mystery. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Story of IMarco Polo. — (Noah Brooks.) 

Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls. — (Knox.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Spain was the only country that helped Columbus. He 
waited years for this help. 



14 Hi<^TORY OF THE United States 



THE PREPARATION AND VOYAGE 

The Hope of Success Healed the Sufferings of the Past 

With a light heart, Cokimbus immediately re- 
turned to the little convent at Palos. He called the 
people of this village together and had read to them 
the royal order which provided for the expense of 
the voyage. The authorities were commanded to 
get two vessels ready for sea within ten days and 
to turn them, together with their crews, over to 
Columbus. He was permitted to furnish the third 
vessel, which he did by the aid of his friends. It 
was no easy undertaking to find men who were 
willing to go with him on the unknown waters of 
the Atlantic. At last three small vessels were 
ready, the Santa Maria^ Pinta, and Nina. Early 
Friday morning, August 3, 1492, after a religious 
service in which he gave himself and his vessels 
to the guidance of heaven, Columbus went on board 
the Santa Maria, the only one which had a deck, 
and the three vessels, with ninety men on board, 
sailed out of the harbor. It was a sad day for 
everyone but Columbus. He was happy in the 
thought that now he was able to undertake to do 
that for which he had been striving for the past 
eighteen years. 

The sea of darkness was full of terrors to the 
men on board. On the third day the Pinta gave 



Discovery 



15 



the signal of distress and they stopped at one of 
the Canary islands. They were detained there more 
than three weeks making a new rudder for the 
Pinta and changing the sails of the Nina. After 
they had taken on plenty of provisions and water, 
they again set sail and soon every trace of land was 




THE THREE VESSELS 



lost to view. The brave seamen were now more 
fearful than at first, for they realized that every- 
thing that was dear to them lay behind them and 
that only mystery and danger lay before them. 
Columbus did everything that he could to quiet 
their fears and to inspire and interest them. He 
even promised them that he would reward them 



16 History of thk United States 

with gold and riches for he believed that they 
would come to a rich country. He gave orders to 
the commanders that whatever happened they 
should continue their course directly w^estward. 
On and on they sailed for more than thirty days 
and still no sign of land. At last they noticed, hov- 
ering about the ships, a bird which they knew never 
ventured far from land. Twice they thought they 
saw land, but when they came nearer they learned 
that what they thought was land was only an eve- 
ning cloud. The sailors said that everything was 
different in this strange region and that what would 
be considered a favorable sign was only an omen 
of some misfortune. The strong east wind, which 
had so steadily carried them westward, they said, 
would never change and their return would soon 
be impossible. Their provisions were getting low 
and their vessels were becoming weakened by the 
long voyage. 

They secretly agreed among themselves that 
Columbus was mad and that if they did not com- 
pel him to return they would all be lost. When 
they told Columbus that they were determined to 
turn homeward and give up the voyage, he tried 
to quiet them with gentle words but, when he saw 
they would not listen to his kind words, he told 
them he had been sent out by their sovereigns to 
try to find the Indies and that however much they 
might complain they should keep on at their work 
until they came to land. 



Discovery 



17 



On the very next day, even the most discouraged 
sailor believed they were near land for they saw, 
floating in the water, a branch with berries on it, 
that had recently been a part of a thorn tree. Great 
flocks of birds passed over 
their ships going toward 
the southwest. Columbus 
knew the Portuguese had 
made many of their dis- 
coveries by following the 
flight of birds so he di- 
rected his vessels toward 
the southwest. All that 
day everyone was on the 
watch, and that evening, ^ 
after they had sung their 
vesper hymn, Columbus 
talked to them and told 
them that it was probable 
they would reach land that very night and that it 
would be unsafe for them to sail after midnight. 
To the one who first discovered land, he said he 
would give a silk doublet in addition to the reward 
that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had 
promised. 

Everybody was full of anticipation and at sun- 
set they were ploughing the waves at the rate of 
twelve miles an hour with the Pinta in the lead, 
for she could sail faster than the other vessels. 




CULUINIEUS ON BOARD THE 
SANTA MARIA 



18 History of thk United State:s 

About ten o'clock Columbus thought he saw a glmi- 
mering light, but to be sure that it was no illusion 
he called several of his crew and they also saw it. 
Columbus was now certain they were near land and 
also that people lived on it. Regardless of danger, 
they kept on in their course until two o 'clock in the 
morning of October 12, when the Pinta gave the 
signal of land. A sailor on board the Pinta was 
the first to sight land, but the reward was given 
to Columbus because he was the first to see the 
light which was a certain sign of land. They took 
in their sails and waited for daylight, but not an 
eye was closed in sleep. The trackless ocean had 
been forced to give up her secret, but before them 
lay an even greater mystery than the mystery of 
the sea. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Tell the story of how Columbus got ready for his voyage. 
How did they know when they were near land ? 
Make a picture or a model of the Santa Maria. 
Difficult words — enterprise, rudder, omen, anticipation. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Columbus. — {Joaquin Miller.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, to find a shorter way to 
India. He believed that he could sail west and find the rich 
cities of the east. 



Discovery 19 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE NEW WORLD 

He Believed the Nezv World Was a Part of Asia 

As morning dawned on Friday, October the 12, 
1492, Columbus beheld the New World but he knew 
not that the level island which lay before him was 
so near to a great unknown continent. He thought 
it was one of the many islands off the eastern coast 
of Asia. He gave the signal to anchor their vessels 
and prepare the small boats. Columbus, richly 
dressed in scarlet and carrying the royal standard, 
entered his boat, while each of his captains, carry- 
ing a banner of the green cross with an F. and a Y. 
and a crown over each letter, went with him in 
other boats. When they reached the land, which 
was beautiful with green foliage and rare fruits, 
he planted his standard and with drawn sword 
took possession of the island in the name of Spain, 
naming it San Salvador. 

The men, who had been so rebellious, now 
crowded around him and asked him to forgive 
them. They promised that hereafter they would 
obey his orders without complaining. The natives 
of the island at first were afraid and ran to the 
woods, but they were so curious about these strange 
people that, when they realized that they would do 
them no harm, they came nearer to the Spaniards 
and touched their hands and faces. They thought 



20 



History of the: United State:s 



that these strange beings had sailed from the skies. 
Columbus did not know what to call these natives 
but he believed that this island was a part of India 
so he called them Indians. 

Columbus was eager to learn all he could about 
the newly found land, so he again entered his boat, 
but he did not know wdiich way to go for there 




THE LANDING 



were many islands in every direction. They were 
all green, and looked very fertile. He was sure 
now that he was among the islands that Marco 
Polo said lay near China. He named them West 
Indies because by sailing west he believed that he 
was near India. He cruised about for several 
weeks and often stopped to ex^jlore an island, but 
he did not stay long in one place for he wanted to 
see as much of the country as possible. He was 



Discovery 21 

anxious to take a report of all that he had seen 
back to his sovereigns, and especially was he eager 
to take back an abundance of gold for he knew that 
would please them most of all. They came to the 
island of Cuba, and, being sure that he had at last 
reached Asia, he sent messengers, who could talk 
in several languages, into the interior to announce 
his arrival to the king of the land and to give him 
the letter which the sovereigns of Spain had sent. 
When the messengers came back everyone 
crowded around to hear about the country and 
about the king to whose capital they had been sent. 
They said they had found a village of fifty houses 
or booths in which lived about a thousand peo^Dle. 
The Indians thought they had come from heaven 
and they led them to their principal house and 
gave them chairs on w^hich to sit, which had been 
made from single pieces of wood in the form of 
animals. Then the natives seated themselves on 
the ground to listen to these men. They tried to 
talk to them in first one language, and then another, 
but they could not understand, and finally their 
Indian guide explained to them about the white 
men. After he had finished talking, to show how 
much they thought of these wonderful beings, they 
crowded around them and even kissed their hands 
and feet. They said that, when they started to go, 
they could hardly keep the Indians from following 
them for they wanted to go back to the skies with 
them. 



22 



History of the: United States 



On their way back they learned much about the 
country and what grew there. Columbus was now 
convinced that the king, to whom he was to deliver 
his letter, did not live here and he decided to go in 
the direction where the natives said great quan- 
tities of gold might be found. 

On Christmas eve, Columbus lay down to sleep, 
for he had had no rest for two days and a night. 
The sea was very calm and the sailor in charge of 
the ship also went to sleep, leaving a boy to direct 
the ship. The boy did not notice that the ship was 
being carried upon a sand-bank. Columbus was 




THE ROUTE OF COLUMBUS 



the first to reach the deck and he gave orders to put 
down the little boats and to carry out and place an 
anchor, bvit the men were so confused that they 
did not obey his orders and went to one of the other 
vessels. Columbus soon saw that nothing could be 
done to save the vessel and both he and his crew 
went on board the other vessel. It is said that the 
Indian chief wept when he heard about the loss 



Discove:ry 23 

of the white man's ship. He sent men with canoes 
to lielp unload the ship. Columbus decided to 
build a fort out of the timbers. When the fort was 
completed thirty-nine men volunteered to stay in 
this newly found country. Among them was a 
physician, a carpenter, a tailor, and a gunner. 
Columbus told them to obey the man left in com- 
mand. He warned them to keep together, and, 
above all, he cautioned them to be friendly and just 
with the natives, for they had been very kind to 
them when they were in distress. He gave them 
seed to plant and articles with which to buy gold 
from the Indians. To show the Indians how pow- 
erful these men could be in protecting them and to 
give them an idea of their ability to defend them- 
selves, he ordered his men to show what they could 
do with their swords and cannons. They gave 
many drills and fired a ball which went through the 
sides of the old ship and far away over the water. 
At last the signal-gun was fired and the crew gave a 
parting cheer to their comrades, whom they were 
never again to see, and the two vessels set out on 
their return to Spai^i. 



24 History oi^ the: United State:s 

SUGGESTIONS 

Where is San Salvador? 

Why did Columbus name the islands West Indies? 
Give a word picture of what he found. 
What did F and Y on his banner mean? 
Collect all the pictures of Columbus and his voyage that 
you can find. 

Write your own story of the people whom Columbus found. 
Difficult words — standard, rebellious, volunteer, comrades. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
The True Story of Christopher Columbus. — (Brooks.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Columbus discovered a New World, but believed that it was 
a part of India. 



Discovery 25 

THE RETURN 
He Taught the Nations of the World the Way to America 

The trade-winds, which had been so favorable 
when they had wanted to sail toward the west, were 
now equally as unfavorable when they wanted to 
sail toward the east. When they had been out a 
little more than a month, a terrible storm came on 
and the two vessels became separated. Columbus 
had signal lights placed on the masthead and at 
first the Pinta answered the signal by a similar 
light, but her lights grew dimmer and dimmer and 
soon nothing more could be seen of her. Columbus 
now feared that his discovery would never be 
known to the world. He wrote out a brief descrip- 
tion of his voyage and discovery and sealed and 
directed it to the king and queen. He then 
wrapped it in a waxed cloth, and, placing it in the 
center of a cake of wax, put it in a large barrel and 
threw it into the ocean. Then he fixed another 
record in the same way and fastened it to the vessel 
so that, in case both he and his crew should perish, 
some one might find it on the wreck of the vessel. 
The first land that he reached was the most south- 
ern island of the Azores. These islands belonged 
to Portugal, and the king of Portugal, being jeal- 
ous lest Columbus might in some way lessen the 



26 History of the United States 

glory of his discoveries, ordered that he should be 
captured wherever they might find him. 

When anyone talked with Columbus, he gave 
them to understand that he had been sent out by 
the authorit}^ of the sovereigns of Spain and that 
they had no right to interfere with him. After he 
reached Portugal, King John finally summoned 
him and gave him a seat in his presence, an honor 
which was granted only to persons of royal dignity. 
The king listened to a minute description of all 
that Columbus had found, no doubt secretly re- 
gretting that this great glory did not belong to his 
country. He offered to provide horses, lodging 
and everything that he might need if he wanted to 
return to Spain by land, but Columbus preferred 
to go in his own vessel. The next day he put 
to sea and at noon on March the fifteenth he 
arrived at the same harbor from which he had 
sailed. In a little less than seven months and a 
half, he had opened the way to the New World, 
which was soon to be followed by many navigators 
from other countries. 



Discovery 27 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why did Columbus guard his description so carefully? 
Where are the Azores ? 

Can you explain why the king of Portugal was so interested 
in Columbus? 

Difficult words — trade-winds, masthead, sovereign. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Children's Stories in American History. — (Wright.) 
The True Story of Christopher Columbus. — (Brooks.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEAIBER 
Columbus opened the way to the New W^orld. 



28 History of the: Unitkd States 



THE ARRIVAL 

The World Honors a Successful Man 

It was a great event in the history of Palos as 
well as in the history of the world, when Columbus 
landed. Great crowds gathered to hear the news 
of the wonderful discovery. Bells were rung and 
all places of business were closed. The people 
formed a great procession and went to their prin- 
cipal church to give thanks to God. Whenever 
they saw Columbus they shouted and cheered. The 
way in which they now treated him was in great 
contrast with the way in which they hissed him 
on the streets a few months before. Columbus im- 
mediately sent a letter to the king and queen tell- 
ing them of his safe arrival and awaiting further 
orders from them. It is a strange event that the 
vessel, Pinta, which had been lost in the storm, 
should arrive in the harbor the same evening on 
which Columbus landed. The captain had been 
driven by the storm to another bay, and, fearful 
lest Columbus had been lost, this captain had sent 
a letter to the king and queen telling them about 
the discoveries that he had made and asking that 
he be allowed to come to court and tell them all 
about the voyage. As he sailed into the harbor at 
Palos, he saw the Nina and heard the noise of the 
reception which was being given Columbus and his 



Discovery 29 

hopes were shattered. He did not go to Columbus 
and tell him how glad he was that he, too, had safely 
arrived, but he landed in his little boat and did not 
let anyone see him until Columbus had gone to see 
the king and queen. This man had spent a great 
deal of his own money in fitting out the vessels and 
had been of great help to Columbus, but he had for- 
gotten that he must give perfect obedience to his 
commander. His sovereigns sent him a letter in 
which they reproved him for his conduct and would 
not allow him to come to court. The story of his 
life shows us how, in an unguarded moment, one 
may allow selfishness to spoil a beautiful charac- 
ter, and that, at all times, we should be true to every 
trust given to our care. 

The fame of the discovery spread throughout 
Spain. Columbus soon received a letter from the 
king and queen addressing him as ^^Don Christo- 
pher Columbus, our Admiral of the Ocean Sea, 
and Viceroy and Governor of the Islands Discov- 
ered in the Indies." They told him how pleased 
they were and that they were anxious for him to 
appear at court. Columbus lost no time in com- 
pl}dng with their wishes. As he came near the city, 
great crowds of people came to meet him. He ar- 
ranged a procession similar to the ones which 
the Romans were accustomed to give to their con- 
querors. First of all, w^ere the Indians that he had 
brought with him, painted in their gaudy colors and 
wearing their ornaments of gold. After these were 



30 



Hl'^TORY OF THK UnITED StaTES 



carried many kinds of live parrots and specimens 
of wild and unknown animals. Many things that 
showed the wealth and resources of this newly 
found country were displayed. Last of all, came 
Columbus on horseback accompanied by a host of 
Spanish soldiers. The throne of the king and 
queen was in an open court under a canopy of 
gold-cloth. 




COLUMBUS RECEIVED BY FERDINAND AND ISABELLA 



In all this display, Columbus was the central fig- 
ure, and he was noticeable because of his command- 
ing appearance and his gray hair. His face 
lighted up with a modest smile as he approached 
his sovereigns, and when he would have stopped to 
kiss their hands they graciously gave him a seat 



Discovery 31 

at their side. He told them about his voyage and 
what he had found on the islands. When he had 
finished talking, the king and queen and all those 
present sank on their knees and gave thanks to 
God for the newlv found country. During his 
stay the highest marks of respect were paid him 
not only by the king and queen but even by the 
members of the court who vied with each other to 
do him honor. 

SUGGESTIONS 

What do you think was the plan of the commander of the 
Pinta? 

Write a letter such as you suppose Columbus wrote to King 
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. 

Write their reply. 

Difficult words — procession, contrast, accustomed, conqueror. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Columbus and His Companion. — Higginson's "Young Folk 
Series," No. 1. 

SOiAIETHING TO REMEMBER 

The return of Columbus to Spain was a great day in the his- 
tory of the world. He announced to the world the success of 
his voyage. 



32 History of the: United States 

OTHER VOYAGES AND SETTLEMENT 
He Was a Discoverer But Not a Colonizer 

The king and queen were anxious for Mm to plan 
for another voyage, which he gladly consented to 
do. It was now easy to find people who were not 
only willing but anxious to go. Columbus made 
not only the second voyage but also the third and 
the fourth. He found many more islands, but he 
never reached any part of our United States. He 
touched the coast of South America and of Central 
America, but he was disappointed because he did 
not find the rich countries of the Orient and never 
realized that what he had found was really of 
greater value than w^hat he had been seeking. 

The colony, which he had planted on the Island 
of Haiti, or as he called it, Espanola, meaning ^^ Lit- 
tle Spain," on his first voyage, was unsuccessful; 
for the men either had been killed by the Indians 
or had been stricken by disease. Other men, 
eager to find gold, or filled with the spirit of adven- 
ture, had come over to take their places. Colum- 
bus, who had had such wonderful success as an ex- 
plorer, was unsuccessful with his colonies. He felt 
that, in order to please his sovereigns, he must find 
gold and so he bent every energy to find the pre- 
cious metal. The sovereigns did not want to wait to 



Discovery 33 

develop the new country, but kept demanding that 
Columbus send more gold. A part of the first gold 
which was sent to Spain was used by the king to 
gild the ceilings of the royal palace. 

The colonists were discontented and unhappy 
and kept continually sending complaints to the 
king and queen. At last Ferdinand and Isabella 
sent a man to investigate the affairs on the island, 
for a part of the colony was now in open rebellion 
against the authorit}^ of Columbus. As soon as he 
arrived, without making any inquiry, he ordered 
his officers to seize Columbus and to put him in 
chains. Even the enemies of Columbus were horri- 
fied at such harsh and cruel treatment. When the 
officer came to take him on board the ship, he en- 
quired, ^^Villejo, whither are you taking me I" 
*^To the ship, your excellency, to embark.'' ^^To 
embark!" repeated Columbus, ^^Yillejo, do you 
speak the truth V^ '' By the life of your excellency, 
it is true.'' Columbus now had hopes that his life 
would be spared to explain everything to the king 
and queen. 

The master of the ship was kind to Columbus 
and wanted to remove his chains, but he would not 
allow them to be taken off for he said they had been 
put on by the authority of his sovereigns and that 
by their authority only should they be removed. 
He said that he would alwaj^s keep them as relics 
and memorials of the reward of his services. As 
soon as he reached Spain, the news of his arrival 



34 



History of the: United States 



as a prisoner and in chains created almost as great 
a sensation as the news of his discovery. Every- 
body was indignant, and even his enemies resented 
such cruel treatment. The king and queen ordered 

his chains removed 
and invited him to 
come to court. They 
said that the man, 
whom they had sent, 
had acted without 
their authority and 
they promised Co- 
lumbus that all of 
his honors should be 
restored to him. It 
COLUMBUS IN CHAINS |g bcHeved that 

Queen Isabella was sincere and really wanted 
to allow Columbus to return as governor of the 
island, but King Ferdinand was not so in- 
clined. He was too selfish and thought that 
he had already given too much honor and re- 
ward to Columbus for his discovery. He re- 
moved the man who had been so cruel to Colum- 
bus, but he did not restore Columbus to his old posi- 
tion. He placed another man in authority and told 
Columbus that in a short time he should return to 
his colony. 




Discovery 35 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella want Columbus 
to make another voyage? 

What kind of a man do you think King Ferdinand was ? 

Putting chains on Columbus had what effect upon the peo- 
ple? 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Ferdinand and Isabella. — (JJ^asIwigton Irving.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
It never pays to be selfish. 



36 History of thk United State:s 



THE LAST VOYAGE 
He Did Not Find a Shorter Way to India 

Meanwhile, Columbus was planning for his 
fourth, and last voyage. He remembered that when 
he was in the Carribean Sea the currents were very 
strong, and he believed that this was an indication 
of an opening into the Indian Ocean. His last voy- 
age was made, believing that he could find a strait 
through which he might sail to the long sought 
shores of Cathay. He reached w^hat we now call the 
Isthmus of Panama, but he did not know that such 
a narrow neck of land separated him from the 
waters of the Pacific. The strait for which Colum- 
bus sought, but could not find, has become a reality ; 
for we have now artificially connected the waters 
of the two great oceans. 

Columbus returned to Spain broken in health. 
On the death of Queen Isabella, which occurred 
soon after his return, hope died within him, for it 
was only through her that he believed he would 
ever be rewarded for his services. King Ferdi- 
nand withheld from Columbus the just incomes 
which would have relieved him from petty annoy- 
ances, but he could not keep for himself the glory 
of the great discoveries. In 1506, Columbus died, 
a poor and heart-broken man. He never knew that 
he had discovered a new continent, equal in size 



Discovery 37 

to the then known world. He was first buried in 
Sixain but after thirty years he was removed to 
a cathedral in the city of San Domingo. The re- 
mains of this man of energy were not yet to rest 
in peace, for about two hundred years later, the 
island of Haiti was transferred to France and 
they were taken to Havana in Cuba. When Spain 
was compelled, by the United States, to give up her 
authority in Cuba, they were again taken up and 
carried back to Spain to find their resting place 
in the countrv he had honored. 



SUGGESTIONS 

Where was Cathay, and why did Columbus want to go there? 

What made Columbus believe that there was a strait which 
would allow him to pass into, what he believed, the Indian 
Ocean ? 

Tell the story of his last voyage. 

Write a story of Columbus using the following topics : 

1. When and where he lived. 

2. What he wanted to do. 

3. How he planned to do it. 

4. What he did. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Columbus had reached the coast of South America, but still 
thought it was a part of India. 



38 History of the United States 



THE CABOTS 
First Discoverers of North America 

It is a strange coincidence that Italy should have 
been the native home of the three great navigators 
who first planted the flags of discovery on the 
shores of the New World. It is even more to be 
wondered at, that neither of these men sailed under 
the Italian flag. Columbus, who was born at 
Genoa, Italy, sailed under the Spanish flag ; Amer- 
icus Vespucius, of whom we shall soon learn, was 
a native of Italy, but lived in Spain when he voy- 
aged to the newly found land ; and John Cabot, the 
last of the group, although born in Genoa, and 
reared in Venice, made his discoveries under the 
flag of England, for he, also, had left his native 
land to live at Bristol, England. He had sailed on 
the waters of the Mediterranean, and had watched 
the arrival of the caravans from India laden with 
their precious silks and spices. He had also sailed 
upon the waters of the Atlantic to the British Isles 
and had then crossed the icy waters to Iceland. He 
was one of the greatest seamen of his time and also 
believed that the countries of the distant east 
might be reached b}^ sailing toward the west. When 
he heard of the success of Columbus, he was more 
eager than ever to make a voyage, for he thought 
that he might find land as rich and beautiful as 



Discovery 39 

that which Columbus had discovered. He obtained 
permission for the voyage from King Henry VII 
with the understanding that one-fifth of all that 
he gained was to be given to the crown. 

He set out with one small vessel, the Matthetv, 
His voyage was very different from that of Colum- 
bus, for, although he kept his course toward the 
west as Columbus had done, he soon crossed the 
warm waters near the British Isles and passed into 
the waters where floated great, glittering icebergs. 
Tlie first land which he reached he named ^ ' Prima 
Vista,'' meaning ^^ first seen." It was either the 
island that we now call Newfoundland or the main- 
land on the coast of Labrador. He planted the 
English flag, and by its side he placed the banner 
of Venice. He little dreamed that in the far dis- 
tant future the flag of a great republic would wave 
from ocean to ocean. It was now midsummer, but 
he did not find beautiful flowers and waving for- 
ests, although he was farther south than Merry 
England. The land was covered with snow and 
ice and suggested a perpetual winter, yet Cabot 
thought that it was a part of the long dreamed of 
Cathay. He learned that there were a great many 
bears but that they did not trouble the natives. 
They found their food by diving into the water and 
catching the fish that were so numerous that they 
often hindered their sailing. He took home with 
him some of the snares which the natives had set 
to catch game, and a needle for making nets. After 



40 



History of the United States 



coasting along the shore for several hundred miles, 
he decided to return home. He reached England 
after having been gone a little more than three 
months. The king received him with great pomp 
and we find in his private records this entry: ''For 
him that found the new isle, ten pounds." TliQ 
king could have afforded to pay him generously, 
for to John Cabot belongs the honor of being 
the first real discoverer of the mainland of the 
New World. Columbus had found the islands of 
the West Indies five years before this time, but 

he did not reach the main- 
land of South America un- 
til about fourteen months 
after the landing of John 
Cabot. 

Just when or where John 
Cabot died, is unknown. 
We know, only, that his 
son Sebastian, took up his 
work and continued the 
search after the new and 
unknown lands. He landed 
on the bleak and frozen coast of Labrador. It was 
the month of July and there were so many icebergs 
in the water that he was forced to change his course. 
He turned his vessels southward and explored the 
coast as far south as Cape Hatteras on the coast of 
what is now North Carolina. Through his efforts, 
he gave to England the right to a vast stretch of 




SEBASTIAN CABOT 



Discovery 41 

territory. He was greatly honored by the English, 
and a monument to his memory has been erected at 
Bristol, England. 



SUGGESTIONS 

Draw a map showing how the Cabots found America. 
Under what flag did they sail? 
Where is Newfoundland? 
What did they call it? 

Why did explorers always want to take something home with 
them ? 

Difficult words — coincidence, hesitate, permission, perpetual. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Higginson's ''Young Folk Series," No. 2. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

John Cabot sailed directly west from England and reached 
the coast of North America fourteen months before Columbus 
reached the coast of South America. 



42 



History o^ the United States 



NAMING THE NEW WORLD 

The Honor Not Given to the True Discoverer 

The next year, after the death of Cohimbus, a 
teacher of geography, named Waldseemuller, pub- 
lished a little book called ''Introduction to Geog- 
raphy.'' It contained a description of the New 

World as discovered by 
Americus Vespucius. This 
was a subject in which all 
classes of people were in- 
terested. He suggested 
that, since both Europe 
and Asia had taken their 
names from women, he saw 
no reason why this country 
explored by Americus Ves- 
pucius, should not be 
called the land of Ameri- 
cus, or America, since both Europe and Asia 
were in the feminine form. This name, changed to 
America, was gradually placed on maps and charts 
and the public became familiar with it, little think- 
ing that by its use the true discoverer was being 
robbed of the glory of the name. 

Americus Vespucius was born and brought up 
in Florence, Italy, and, like Columbus, went to live 
in Spain. He was a merchant and it was his pur- 




AMERICUS VESPUCIUS 



Discovery 43 

pose to regain the lost fortunes of a wealthy fam- 
ily. After he went to Spain, he helped fit out 
many vessels that were sent to the newly found 
lands. He, himself, made several voyages, and, on 
one of the first, he touched the mainland of South 
America. A few years later he made another voy- 
age, and, on his return, he published an account of 
the country he had seen and called it the ^^New 
World.'' He was the first to make the mass of 
the people of Europe understand that the new dis- 
covery was a new continent and not a part of India. 
We have no record that Columbus ever tried to 
attach his name to any of his discoveries, but 
all countries grant to him the credit of the true 
discovery. In poetry and in song we shall always 
remember it as ^^ Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean." 



SUGGESTIONS 

Write or tell a story about naming the New World, using 
the following topics : 

1. Americus Vespucius. 

2. How the name America came to be used. 

3. What do you think the name should be? 

SOMETHING TO READ 

America's Godfather. — (Virginia Johnson.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Commit to memory a stanza of "Columbia, the Gem of the 
Ocean." 



EXPLORERS 

PONCE DE LEON 

The Discoverer of Florida, the Land of flowers 

It is almost impossible for us to understand 
what the nations of the Old World thought about 
this strange land. It is somewhat as if we were to 
try to explain about the moon, except that in those 
days a few explorers had actually reached this 
country. "What it was, or how large it was, or what 
were its resources, they could not tell. These are 
problems that, as yet, have not been fully solved, 
for the great possibilities of North and South 
America are still unknown. For more than a hun- 
dred years, the countries of Europe continued to 
send explorers to this continent. These explorers 
marched through the swamps and the luxuriant 
vegetable growth of the southern part ; they sailed 
up the great rivers; they crossed the isthmus and 
waded into the waters of the Great Sea; they 
climbed the mountains ; and they ventured far into 
the fur bearing regions of the north. Everywhere 
they went, they claimed for their own country the 
land that they discovered, but the great interior 
still was unknown. 



EXPI^ORERS 45 

Ponce de Leon was one of these explorers. He 
had sailed with Columbus on his second voyage 
and was at one time governor of Porto Rico. He 
was a true Spaniard and fond of adventure, but 
there was something which influenced him more 
than the Spaniards' thirst for gold. It was a 
thirst to drink from the fountain of youth. This 
fountain of never-failing running water was sup- 
posed to be on an island somewhere north of Cuba. 
It was said that whoever bathed in this fountain 
and drank of its waters would have his youth given 
back to him. 

Ponce de Leon fitted out three vessels and 
went in search of this magic fountain. He sailed 
among the Bahama Islands and one day, Easter 
Sunday, March 27, 1513, he came to a strange shore 
which he thought was an island. He seemed to 
have reached the land of flowers and of eternal 
summer. He named it Florida, because he had dis- 
covered it on Easter Sunday, which the Spaniards 
called Pasqua Florida, the feast of flowers, and 
because it seemed to him a land of flowers. 

On his return, the king of Spain made him gov- 
ernor of this land, and, in a few years, he came back 
to plant a colony. The Indians did not want the 
Spaniards to settle in their country, and, when they 
tried to land, made war on them. Many Spaniards 
were killed and Ponce de Leon was wounded bv a 



46 History of the: Uniti:d Statks 

poisoned arrow. He was taken to Cuba, where he 
died, never having learned that the fountain of 
youth which he sought was not to be found. 



SUGGESTIONS 

Why was Florida called the land of flowers? 
Of what importance was it to the Spaniards? 
Difficult words — explorer, luxuriant, magic, Bahama. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Children's Stories in American History. — Pages 71-75. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Ponce de Leon discovered Florida, but he did not find the 
fountain of youth. 



Explorers 47 



FERDINAND DE SOTO 
The Discoverer of tJie Mississippi River 

Ferdinand de Soto was born in Spain, of a noble 
family, but his parents were too poor to send Mm to 
school. One day a wealthy nobleman saw him and 
was so pleased with his appearance that he adopted 
him and educated him as though he were his own 
son. He spent six years at a Spanish uniyersity 
and took many prizes at their tournaments. He 
had read so much about the wonderful discoyeries 
in the New World that he determined that he, too, 
would win honor and fame. He sailed with the 
nobleman who had helped him to get an education. 
After fifteen years, he returned to Spain and was 
receiyed with great honor, for his deeds of brayery 
were told throughout the land. 

He married Isabella, daughter of the man who 
had been so kind to him when he was a boy. A few 
years after his marriage, the king appointed him 
goyernor of Cuba and Florida and gaye him per- 
mission to explore the country. In the early spring 
of the year 1538, he sailed from Spain with a fleet 
of ten yessels. Times had changed since the days 
of Columbus, for De Soto had so many people that 
wanted to go with him that his ships would not 
hold them. He selected six hundred 3^oung men of 
noble birth. They took with them two hundred and 



48 



History of thk United State:s 



twenty-three horses. They landed first at Havana 
where De Soto left his wdfe to govern the colony 
until he should return. He then v/ent to Tampa 
Bay. 

When these young noblemen saw the dense for- 
ests and realized what it really meant to be ex- 
plorers, a few of them became frightened and 




DE SOTO'S DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER 



turned back. De Soto w^as undaunted, and, with the 
greater 23art of his men, set out to learn more about 
the interior. Their w^anderings cover a period of 
four wretched years. The journey took them 
through many of the southern states and even ex- 
tended as far north as Hot Springs, Arkansas. 
De Soto, in his search for gold, found the great 



EXPI^ORERS 



49 



Mississippi river. In the Indian language the 
name means ^^ Father of Waters/' and they had 
named it better than they knew for it is the longest 
river in the world. For ages this mighty river had 
been a carrier for the waters of the lake region to 
tlie gulf but no civilized man had ever looked upon 
its seething waters. De Soto pressed forward with 




DESCENDING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER 



his explorations but he was often attacked by hos- 
tile Indians. The climate was unhealthful and the 
long marches with insufficient food and shelter had 
undermined his health. He was taken sick with a 
fever and when he knew that he could not live, he 
called his faithful soldiers to him and bidding them 
farewell, asked them to love and help each other. 



60 History of thk United States 

In order that the Indians might not find his body, 
his soldiers wrapped it in mantles loaded with sand 
and in the darkness sank it in the river. 

The few men who remained built boats calked 
with the bark of mulberry trees. In these boats 
they sailed down the Mississippi to the gulf and 
after many hardships reached a Spanish settle- 
ment. Thus ended the first pioneer effort at in- 
land discovery. 



SUGGESTIONS 

Give a word picture of De Soto's journey and of what he 
saw. 

Difficult words — tournament, permission, undaunted, inte- 
rior, insufficient, pioneer. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
De Soto was the first to explore the great interior. 



Explorers 51 



JAMES CARTIER 

The Discoverer of the St. Lazvrence River 

This hero of French adventure was born at St. 
Malo, France, two years after the discovery of the 
New World bv Columbus. His ancestors had been 
men of the sea and the life of the town in which he 
lived was centered in a sea-faring business. It was 
as natural for him to live on the water as it is f oi* 
ordinary people to live on the land. In the town 
hall at St. Malo may be seen his picture which is 
greatly prized by the people of that place. 

The stories, which the Cabots had told of the 
great quantities of codfish which were to be found 
in the northern waters, were retold in France and 
although the king was slow to realize the import- 
ance of discoveries in the New World in 15314: 
he selected Cartier to undertake a voyage. He 
sailed from St. Malo with two small vessels and 
reached the coast of Newfoundland. On this voy- 
age he did little more than spy out the places that 
he expected later to explore. He crossed the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence and saw the mouth of a great river 
whose opposite banks could scarcely be seen. 
Wherever he landed, he planted a cross bearing the 
fleur-de-lis of France. He was not prepared to en- 
dure a northern winter, so, taking with him two 
natives as proof of his discovery and also that they 



52 History of the: United States 

might learn the French language and act as inter- 
preters, he returned home and told of his discovery. 

It was still believed that a northwest passage to 
Asia might be found and the next year Cartier re- 
turned to the New World. It was midsummer 
when he reached an island near Newfoundland and 
he said that this island was so full of birds that 
his ships might have been filled with them and 
they would not have been missed. After he had 
thoroughly explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
he sailed up the river. The natives were very kind 
to him and his party but they did not want him to 
go farther up the river. The two natives that he 
had taken with him the year before explained to 
him what the Indians said. One day the two In- 
dians who had been in France, slipped away from 
them and joined their own people. They could 
never be induced to return for they said that all 
of the Frenchmen carried weapons and that they 
had none. 

The Indians tried to keep them from ascending 
the river which Cartier named the St. Lawrence. 
They brought them gifts of fish and eel and even 
offered their children if Cartier would not go to 
their village called Hochelaga. One day three In- 
dians dressed themselves in black and white dogs' 
skins, blackened their faces and put horns on their 
heads. The savages placed these men in a canoe 
and then hid themselves in the woods. As soon as 
the canoe came near the French vessel the men 



Explorers 



53 



stood up and one of them made a long speech but 
he did not once look at the white men. When the 
canoe floated toward the land the Indians rushed 
out of the woods and caught it and carried the three 
men, who had fallen down as if dead, into the 
woods. Cartier and his men could hear them talk- 
ing. After a long time the two Indians who had 




CARTIER AT MONTREAL 



been with them came toward them holding their 
hands above their heads. Cartier asked them what 
had happened. They spoke in French and said, 
^^It is not good." Then they explained that their 
god at Hochelaga had sent these three men to tell 
that there was so much snow and ice in that country 



54 History of thk United States 

that whoever ventured there would surely die. Car- 
tier laughed at them and told them that he had 
been assured of fair weather. They seemed much 
pleased and began dancing and singing. 

Cartier reached Hochelaga, a village of the 
Huron Indians, the second of October. The In- 
dians were friendly and invited the white men to 
their land. The village consisted of about fifty 
huts and all around it were fields of the ripened 
corn. He climbed a lofty hill which lay back of 
the village and named it Mont Real which survives 
to-day in the name of the city of Montreal. He 
learned from the Indians that their river ran into 
lakes so large that it w^ould take three months to 
cross them in their canoes. They explained to him 
that there was a place where the water poured over 
in a great cataract. Cartier found that there was 
copper in this region but he found no trace of either 
gold or silver. He named the country New France. 
Cartier was made captain-general of New France, 
and spent two winters in the new land. At last 
worn out with hopeless adventure he returned 
home. It was more than fifty years before a suc- 
cessful colony was planted in New^ France. 



Explorers 55 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why is the story of Cartier important? 
Which explorer do you Hke best ? 

What was the name of the flower which France placed on 
her banner ? 

Who is an interpreter? 
Where was New France ? 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Baldwin's ''Discovery of the Old Northwest." 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Cartier explored the St. Lawrence in 1534. At that early 
date he found traces of copper. This metal proved to be a 
great source of wealth to this section of North America. 



56 



History of the United States 



HENRY HUDSON 
The Discoverer of the Hudson River 

Henry Hudson was an English seaman of great 
daring. He believed that a passage to Asia could 
be found through the icy waters of the north. His 
early voyages were made by authority of England 

but as he did not find either 
a northeastern or a north- 
western passage to India, 
England refused to give 
him any further assistance. 
He went to Holland and 
obtained the help which he 
needed from the Dutch 
East India Company. He 
was given a vessel called 
the Half-Moon, manned 
He was told that he could 
now continue his search for a waterway to India. 
In the spring of 1609 he sailed on the seas north 
of Europe, but finding that it was impossible to 
sail in these waters on account of the huge icebergs, 
he turned his vessel toward the w^est and reached 
the coast of Newfoundland. Here he stopped to 
repair his ship which had been broken by the ice- 
bergs. He then went toward the south and landed 




HENRY HUDSON 



by eighteen sailors. 



EXPI^ORKRS 



57 



at Cape Cod Bay, and then continued his southern 
route until he reached Chesapeake Bay. 

He never lost sight of finding a waterway to 
India and as he retraced his course he watched 




HENRY HUDSON AT MANHATTAN ISLAND 

carefully for the mouth of some great river on 
whose waters he might sail to the great Pacific 
Ocean. He explored the Delaware Bay and traced 
the coast of New Jersey. The Half -Moon passed 
around a low ^^ Sandy Hook" and anchored at a 
safe inlet. Here, as everywhere the explorers 
landed, they were met by great numbers of the In- 
dians who brought their gifts of Indian corn, fruits 
and furs. Boats were sent out to explore New York 
Bay. 



58 



History oj^ the: United States 



The Half-Moon now passed into the inner 
harbor. Before them lay a beautiful wooded 
island. They little dreamed that on this very 

island was to be built 
the largest city of the 
western continent and 
the second city of the 
world. For several 
days he ascended a 
river that flowed in- 
to this harbor. He 
reached a point near 
where the city of Al- 
bany now stands. He 
found the river be- 
coming narrower and 
more shallow and by 
sending a boat farther up the stream became con- 
vinced that he had gone as far as he could in his 
ship. He decided to carry to Holland the news of his 
discovery. He stopped at Dartmouth and both he 
and his crew were held as Englishmen by the order 
of the king of England. He was allowed to send 
a report of his discoveries to Amsterdam and the 
next year the Half-Moon was returned to its 
owners. 

Hudson could not give up his dream of a north- 
west passage and yet the coast had been carefully 
explored from Florida to Maine. He felt that it 
must be far to the north between the Gulf of St. 




LAST VOYAGE OF HENRY 
HUDSON 



Explorers 59 

Lawrence and Greenland. In the summer of 1610, 



he again sailed with the vision of the Indies as 
his guide. This time he carried the English flag, 
for some merchants of England had fitted out his 
vessel, the Discovery. He reached the strait which 
now bears his name and sailed into an open 
bay which promised to open the way to Cathay. 
He spent three months in trying to find a passage 
out but none could be found. 

Winter came and his vessel was frozen in the ice. 
The privations of that long and desolate winter 
were never told by him for in the spring as soon 
as the vessel could sail his crew broke into mutiny. 
They seized Hudson and his son and seven others 
who had remained loyal to him and placed them in 
a boat and cast them adrift. Nothing more was 
ever heard of the man who had done so much to 
increase the geographical knowledge of the world. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Tell in your own words the story of Henry Hudson. 
Of what value were the discoveries of Hudson? 
What countries sent out explorers? 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Hudson believed that he could find a waterway to India by 
going to the north. He discovered the Hudson river and the 
bay which bears his name. 



SETTLEMENTS 

SEEDS OF TROUBLE IN CONFLICTING CLAIMS 
St. Augustine, the Oldest Tozvn in the United States 

Many years passed from the time Columbus first 
touched the shores of the West Indies until per- 
manent Spanish settlements were made in the ter- 
ritory now known as the United States. The Span- 
iards wanted to own everything that their explorers 
had seen and thus it happened that they were 
located in the southern part of our country. You 
will remember that it has been said that ^Hhe cack- 
ling of geese saved Rome.'' Just as truly might 
it be said that the flight of parrots saved this coun- 
try from becoming Spanish. If Columbus had not 
followed the parrots flying toward the southwest, 
he would have landed somewhere on the eastern 
coast of the United States, but by turning to the 
southwest the claims for Spanish settlement were 
confined to the southern part. 

Their maps of this country at that time were 
very imperfect and under the name of Florida they 
claimed the eastern coast as far north as the Chesa- 
peake Bay and the territory west to beyond the 
Mississippi River. Their first settlement was made 



Settlements 61 

at a point near the mouth of the St. John's river. 
A colony of two thousand five hundred persons 
arrived on August 28, 1565. They named the place 
St. Augustine in honor of the day of their arrival. 
As soon as they landed they sent soldiers to destroy 
a French settlement which was not far away. This 
is only one of the many cruel things which the 
Spaniards did to hold this country for Spain. It 
would seem to us that there was plenty of room on 
this great continent for both colonies but Spain 
was selfish and did not want France to get a foot- 
hold here. They built a triangular shaped fort and 
mounted the bronze guns which they had brought 
from Spain. Many people are interested in visit- 
ing this place for it is the oldest town in the United 
States. 

The territory which the English claimed over- 
lapped the Spanish claims in the south and the 
French claims on the north. You will remember 
that the French claimed what we now call Canada 
because Cartier discovered the St. LaAvrence river. 
The Dutch claimed the land lying between the Dela- 
ware and the Connecticut rivers because of the dis- 
coveries of Henry Hudson. The colonists who 
came to settle on these lands were loyal to their 
own countries and we shall learn how their differ- 
ences were settled. 



63 History of the United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

Find on your map the West Indies. 

Where do you think Columbus would have landed if he had 
not turned to the south? 

Where is Chesapeake Bay? 

Where is St. Augustine, and what do you know about it ? 

Difficult words — settlement, triangular, overlapped. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
St. Augustine is the oldest town in the United States. 



Settlements 



63 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 
The Man Who First Tried to Make America a Homeland 

This pioneer of English settlers takes us back 
in our thought to the picturesque country of Devon 
in the southern part of England. Just outside of 
a village and in full view of the Otter river stands 




BOYHOOD OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH 



an old weather-beaten farm house. Here Walter 
Raleigh lived with his parents. While a young 
bov he listened to the stories of adventure as told 
bv brave seamen, and dreamed that sometime he, 



64 History of the: United States 

too, would have something to do with the wonder- 
ful discoveries of which they told. 

When he was fifteen years of age he was pre- 
pared to enter college and he left his old home to 
form a new circle of friends at Oxford. The room 
which he occupied is still pointed out as the one 
used by the great Sir Walter. He entered into the 
life of the school and was soon a leader among his 
classmates. His school career was all too short and 
after many years of daring adventure he found 
himself a favorite of Queen Elizabeth's court. 

Tradition tells us that his introduction to court 
life haj^pened in a most natural Avay and yet almost 
as if by accident. One day the queen attended by 
her ladies and courtiers went for a stroll through 
her park. There had been a heavy shower and 
when they came to a muddy place the queen 
stopped for she did not want to soil her shoes. At 
this moment one of the courtiers stepped forward 
and taking off his richly embroidered cloak, spread 
it for the queen to walk upon. This little act of 
courtesy pleased the queen and was not forgotten 
by her for from that time this courtier who was 
none other than Walter Ealeigh, became one of her 
favorites. His life at the court was full of pleas- 
ures and gayeties but he never forgot his boyhood 
longing for the sea and his desire to have his name 
connected with the early colonies of America. 

His half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, under- 
took to establish a colonv in Newfoundland. 



Ealeigii was greatly interested in the undertaking 
and the two brothers fitted out a fleet of five ves- 
sels. Raleigh did not go with his brother on this 
voyage. The expedition was beset with misfor- 
tune from the start. One of the vessels deserted 
him early in the voyage, another returned with the 
sick, and a third was wrecked off Sable Island. 
The men were so lawless that they forced him to 
turn back to England soon after they landed. The 
vessel on which he sailed was not strong and his 
officers begged him to go on board the better ves- 
sel, but he would not leave the little company with 
whom he had already shared the dangers of the 
sea. 

When the Golden Hind, the stronger vessel 
of the fleet, came near to the Squirrel, which 
was the name of the vessel in which Sir Humphrey 
sailed, he called out to the men on board, ^^Be of 
good heart, my friends ; we are as near to heaven 
by sea as by land!'' That very night the sailors 
on board the Golden Hind saw the frail Squirrel 
lurch and then suddenly sink beneath the waves. 
Raleigh was overcome with grief when he heard 
of his brother's death, but it did not discourage 
him in his undertaking of planting a colony in 
America. 

The next spring Raleigh obtained from the 
queen permission to found a colony in America. 
He knew from experience that the frozen country 
of the north was not a suitable place, so he selected 



66 



History of the: United States 




ROANOKE ISLAND 



a strip of territory between Cape Fear and the 
Delaware river. He sent a party to examine the 
country. They returned with such glowing 
descriptions that it would seem the sailors had 

been ^4n the midst of some deli- 
cate garden." They had landed 
on Roanoke Island and had 
been entertained by the Indian 
queen. They said that the cli- 
mate was mild, that there was 
an abundance of game and fish 
and that there were luscious 
fruits and beautiful flowers. It 
seemed a strain on the En- 
glish language to find words to describe wiiat they 
had seen. They took home with them two Indians 
named Wanchese and Manteo. Queen Elizabeth, 
who has been called the ^^ Virgin Queen/' was so 
pleased with their description that she named the 
country Virginia. 

Raleigh was made lord proprietary of the new 
province. He lost no time in getting ready the 
second expedition. A fleet of seven vessels carry- 
ing one hundred and eight colonists set out with 
Sir Richard Grenville in command. Ralph Lane 
was to be the governor of the colony. ' When they 
reached the coast of Carolina a terrible storm arose 
and Sir Richard suggested that they call the place 
Cape Fear. We have ever since called the place by 
the same name. Sir Richard was a harsh and cruel 



Settlements 67 

man and one day an Indian took a silver cu]} not 
realizing its value. To pvmisli the Indians, Sir 
Richard destroyed their fields of corn and burned 
one of their villages. He then set sail for Eu gland 
but the seeds of cruelty that he had sown in the 
hearts of the Indians were to be reaped by the 
colonists. The Indians no longer trusted the white 
men but rather looked- upon them with suspicion 
and hatred. 

The site which Lane selected was near the north- 
east corner of the island and a winding ditch that 
marked the camp may still be traced. Instead of 
tilling the soil, the colonists spent tlreir time gold- 
hunting as the Spaniards had done. They did not 
cultivate the spirit of independence but thought 
that everything must be brought to them from 
England. At first they received their food supplies 
from the neighboring Indian tribes but after their 
many acts of cruelty, the Indians refused to help 
them. They were reduced to a desperate condi- 
tion when they caught sight of a fleet coming into 
their harbor. It proved to be the brave old sailor, 
Sir Francis Drake, who was returning to England 
with the sx3oils which he had taken from the Span- 
ish in the southern seas. 

The colonists gladly accepted Drake ^s invitation 
to take them back to England. They had not been 
gone long wdien Sir Richard Grenville, who had 
been sent out by Raleigh, arrived with three vessels 
bringing aid. He searched everywhere for the col- 



68 History o^ the: United Statks 

onists but could find no trace of tliem. He did not 
want to lose claim to the territory so lie left fifteen 
men with supplies and provisions enough to last 
for two years. A brave band of men these must 
have been for so far as they knew they were the 
only white men on the American continent. The 
history of these fifteen men is a mystery. Some 
bones were found and it was reported that they 
jmid the penalty of an Indian chief's vengeance. 

Sir Walter Ealeigh could not give up his idea 
of planting a colony in Virginia. The next spring 
he sent out another colony. Captain White was 
placed in command. They landed at the same 
place but this time the virgin soil of the New 
World was pressed by women 's feet and the woods 
echoed with the voices of children. Seventeen 
women had accompanied their husbands. A short 
time after the arrival of the colonists, a little girl 
was born. She was the granddaughter of Gover- 
nor White. Her father's name was Dare and they 
named her Virginia. Virginia Dare was the first 
(?hild of English parents ever born in America. 
Governor White soon returned to England and he 
was to quickly bring back more supplies and other 
colonists. His leave taking of his daughter and 
her baby girl was a last farewell for he never saw 
them again. 

On his arrival in England he found Raleigh and 
many of the leading men of England occupied in 
keeping Spaniards from invading their country. 



Se:ttlemi:nts 69 

The Spanish government had gotten together a 
great fleet, so great that they believed that it could 
not be captured bv any nation of the world. They 
called it the ^^ Invincible Armada." Almost on the 
flrst anniversary of the birth of Virginia Dare, the 
English destroyed this great fleet in the English 
Channel. Raleigh, although occupied in trying to 
defeat the Spaniards, did not forget his colony and 
in April of 1588, he sent White in charge of two 
ships to Virginia. Before he arrived at the Vir- 
ginia coast one of his ships was captured and he 
was forced to return to England. 

Raleigh had spent his fortune in the struggle 
with Spain but as soon as he could arrange for it, 
he again sent White with aid for the Virginia col- 
ony. With what longing eyes he must have 
watched for some trace of his daughter and grand- 
child as his ship glided into the harbor. No one 
came out from among the trees to wave him a 
greeting, no hearth fires sent their smoke heaven- 
ward. The huts were deserted. Little Virginia 
Dare and the Lost Colony of Roanoke had gone 
leaving no trace of their existence except the word 
^^Croatan'' cut into the bark of a tree. This word 
was the name of an island further down the coast 
and had White gone on he might still have found 
some trace of the Lost Colony. He was an artist 
and has given us some faithful pictures of the In- 
dians and their manner of life but he lost for us 



70 History of the United States 

a splendid opportunity of planting the English 
race on the shore of America. 

One of the men who had been with White made 
a careful study of the plants which he found here. 
He took back to England the tobacco and the 
potato. Raleigh had the potato planted on his 
estate in Ireland in which country it has since been 
extensively cultivated. He was so interested in 
the tobacco that was given him that he ordered his 
,ieweler to make him a silver pipe after the fash- 
ion of the Indian clay pipe. One day he was sit- 
ting by his fireside puffing at his pipe when one of 
his servants entered the room. Noticing the smoke, 
the servant immediately threw a bucket of water 
in his face and ran from the room screaming that 
his master was on fire. 

Many things claimed Raleigh's attention but he 
never lost sight of the Virginia colony. He spent 
many thousands of dollars of his own money in an 
effort to plant an English colony. At five differ- 
ent times he sent expeditions out to try to find 
some trace of the little colou}^, but nothing was ever 
heard of it. 

Raleigh's troubles at home multiplied and after 
the death of Queen Elizabeth, his very life was 
threatened. He made an expedition to the north- 
ern coast of South America thinking that he might 
weaken the power of Spain by planting a colony 
in Guiana. King James who succeeded Queen 
Elizabeth was jealous of Raleigh's influence and 



Settlements 71 

everything that Ealeigh did caused suspicion. He 
was charged with treason against the king and 
for twelve weary years he was confined in the 
Tower. During this tmie he was a careful stu- 
dent of chemistry and spent many hours study- 
ing the flowers in the garden where he was allowed 
to walk. The king could deprive him of his free- 
dom but he could not take from him his love of 
books and his fondness for writing. The king at 
last gave him his freedom but he would not grant 
him a pardon. He made another expedition to 
South America to find gold for the king but being 
unsuccessful he was returned by King James to 
the ToAver and was finally beheaded. On examin- 
ing the edge of the executioner's ax, Ealeigh wit- 
tingly remarked, ^^It is a sharp medicine to cure 
me of my disease.'' 

Raleigh was a true type of the patriot and the 
cause for which he so earnestly labored did not 
die with him and we claim him to-day as the first 
friend of the idea of homes in the New World and 
in his honor one state of the United States has 
named its capital. 



72 History of the: United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

What early influence helped to shape Raleigh's life? 
Tell the story of the cloak. 
Who was Sir Humphrey Gilbert? 
Who was Virginia Dare? 
Raleigh is the capital of what state? 
Tell the story that the word "Croatan" suggests. 
Difficult words — picturesque, adventure, courtesy, courtier, 
province, tradition. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Sir Humphrey Gilbert. — {Longfellozv.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Raleigh was the first man who tried to make homes in Amer- 
ica. He never forgot his Virginia colony, although he had 
many troubles in England. 



Skttlkments 73 



FIRST PERMANENT ENGLISH COLONY 
Jamestozvn, Virginia, in idoy 

England was slow to realize the value of the dis- 
coveries made by the Cabots for it was more than 
one hundred years before a permanent settlement 
was made. The beginning of the seventeenth cen- 
tury marks a change in the way in which England 
considered the New World. The age of sea kings 
passed with the reign of Elizabeth and a commer- 
cial age began with the reign of King James I. 
Two strong commercial companies were organized 
early in his reign. One was called the London 
Company because the men, who were most inter- 
ested in it lived in London. The other company 
was called the Pl}Tiiouth Company. 

These two companies were not to place settle- 
ments within a hundred miles of each other. Each 
was to have a council and in England there was to 
be a superior council which was to control them 
both, but King James was to name the men who 
should be members of the councils. There was also 
a provision which was the foundation of our Amer- 
ican liberty. It provided that all of the liberties 
and pri^dleges which belonged to Englishmen 
should belong to these colonists and their children. 
The Plymouth Company from the southwestern 
part of England first attempted to plant a colony 



74 



History of thk United State:s 



in the northern part of the territory. The climate 
was so rigorous that only a few of the settlers lived 
through the first winter and they quickly found 
their way back to England. 

Since the voyage of Columbus we have had no 
more important expedition than the one which was 
sent by the London Company. Three vessels set 
out from London on December 30th, 1606, and fol- 
lowed the old route wiiich 
Columbus had mapped out. 
Up to this time only a few of 
the daring seamen had ven- 
tured to take the direct 
course to America. They 
carried on board a chest 
which contained the names of 
the men who were to be mem- 
bers of the council but they 
were told not to open it until 
they reached Virginia. They 
passed the island of Roanoke 
but a storm kept them from landing. At last they 
came to a bay where the ships could come so near 
to land that they anchored them to the trees. The 
place chosen for landing was a peninsula. It seems 
strange that always before the English had planted 
their colonies on islands. Perhaps it was because 
their homeland was an island or it might have been 
because they feared the Indians. 




JAMESTOWN 



SETTLEMENTS 



75 



They named the river, which flowed into this 
bay, the James river, in honor of their king. As 
soon as they landed they opened the sealed chest 
and found the names of the men who were to be 
members of the coun- ^_ ___^ ^^ _._ 

cil. They then began 
to build a fort. It was 
in the shape of a tri- 
angle with the broad 
side toward the river. 
They named the place 
Jamestown. When 
their fort was com- 
pleted they built a 
small church in which 
they held religious meetings. Thus in 1607 was 
the beginning of the first successful English settle- 
ment in America. 




OLD RUINS AT JAMESTOWN 



SUGGESTIONS 

Why did sailors coming from England follow the same route 
which Columbus took? 
-Why were the London and the Plymouth companies formed? 

Difficult words — realize, century, commercial, rigorous, ex- 
pedition, peninsula, council. 



SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The first successful English settlement was made at James- 
town, Virginia, in 1607. 



76 



History of the: United State:s 



CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 
The Hero of the Virginia Colony 

The story of the Virginia colony would not be 
complete without knowing something of the man 
who did so much to make it a success. He was a 
real adventurer but was well fitted to handle the 

problems of an undeveloped 
country. He had traveled 
much and had been in wars 
in Holland and at one time 
was held as a galley-slave by 
the Turks. He had returned 
to England just in time to 
sail with the London Com- 
pany for Virginia. This col- 
ony was composed of one 
hundred and four colonists. 
Only a few of them knew any 
of the useful trades and the 
greater number of the com- 
pany styled themselves gen- 
tlemen. The fabulous stories 
which Smith told and his 
plain, practical manner of 
life did not please these so- 
called gentlemen, and even before they landed they 
had deprived him of his freedom. They were slow 




STATUE OF 
CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 



Si:ttlkments 



77 



to give liim his office even when they found that 
the king had appointed him as a member of the 
council. When troubles began, and begin they did, 
these helpless gentlemen were glad enough to ask 

advice of Smith. He 
somehow had the 
happy faculty of 
knowing what ought 
to be done and then 
possessed the energy 
to do it. 

It was not long un- 
til he was at the head 
of the colony. He 
taught the colonists 
how to wield the ax in 
the forest and this was 
the beginning of the 
popular custom of rail splitting. It took a 
long time for them to learn what seeds would 
grow best in this climate. Indian corn be- 
came their principal food and the tobacco plant 
was grown for commercial purposes. The tobacco 
plant became a medium of exchange in place of 
silver or gold and they planted it in their streets. 

The Indians were so hostile that the settlers did 
not dare go far from the fort. Smith made many 
visits to the neighboring tribes and succeeded in 
trading for Indian corn which was for some time 
the main support of the settlers. On one of his 




BL ILDI.NG llUAIi^S AT 
JAMESTOWN 



78 History of the: United States 

expeditions lie was taken captive by the Indians. 
His two companions were killed but Smith escaped 
death b}^ showing the natives his pocket compass. 
They allowed him to write a letter to his friends 
and were greatly surprised when they found that 
by means of a few marks on paper he could tell his 
friends what had happened. He was carried from 
one tribe to another until at last he came to Pow- 
hatan, the white man's enemy. He had ordered 
his men to kill Smith and when they were about to 
execute the dreadful order it is said that his little 
ten-year-old daughter, Pocahontas, rushed in and 
throwing her arms around the brave white man 
plead with her father to spare his life. Powhatan 
was a determined warrior but he could not refuse 
the request of his favorite daughter. Smith was 
returned to the colony with a pledge of friendship 
from the Indians. Pocahontas made many visits 
to Jamestown carrying baskets of corn for the set- 
tlers. A good many years after this incident, she 
married one of the colonists, John Rolf e, and went 
to live in England. 

The London Company was impatient because the 
colony did not yield a greater profit. Smith re- 
doubled his energies to make the colony at least 
self-supporting. When his year of office had ex- 
pired, he returned to England never again to visit 
Jamestown, although he spent many years explor- 
ing the coast of the New England States. 



SETTLEMENTS 79 

SUGGESTIONS 

Tell the story of Captain John Smith. 

Who was Powhatan? 

Difficult words — fabulous, hostile, impatient, redoubled. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
The Story of Pocahontas. — (Martha A. L. Lane.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

John Smith taught his colonists how to work. He showed 
them that success could only be had by labor. 



80 



History of thk United State:s 



FIRST NEW ENGLAND COLONY 
The Pilgriin Fathers Sought Religious Freedom 

It was almost fourteen years from the first land- 
ing at Jamestown until a settlement was made at 
Plymouth in Massachusetts. A long time it now 




DEPARTURE FROM HOLLAND 



seems to us to delay the development of a country 
so rich in resources as America. Those were stir- 
ring times in England and we can better under- 



S^TTLEMKNTS 81 

stand the people who settled at Plymouth if we 
first learn something of what was happening in 
England. There had grown a feeling that the 
established state church was too formal and many 
of its members wanted a change in church methods. 
There were two parties. The followers of one 
party were called Puritans because they believed 
that the church should be purified. They did not 
believe that they ought to withdraw from the estab- 
lished church but that the ceremonies of the church 
should be reformed. The king stoutly opposed any 
change in church government. The other party 
had come to believe that their reforms would never 
be accepted by the state church and that it would 
be better to form a separate church where they 
could worship as their conscience told them was 
right. They were called Separatists because they 
separated themselves from the established church 
of England. 

At the little town of Scrooby in the northern 
part of England was an active congregation of Sep- 
aratists. They were so persecuted that they left 
England and settled at Leyden in Holland. They 
were then called Pilgrims. The people of Holland 
were kind to them and did not disturb them in 
their religious worshix3 but they were still un- 
happy. They spent almost twelve years in the land 
of the Dutch but it was not their home. They were 
Englishmen and they realized that if their chil- 



82 



History of the: United States 



dren and their grandchildren were raised in Hol- 
land they would not be Englishmen but Dutchmen. 
At last they decided they would rather risk the 
dangers of pioneer life in America than suffer their 
little band of followers to be separated from each 
other in Holland. They sent agents to England 
to get permission of King James to make a settle- 
ment in America. He would not give them a 
(charter as was customary but would only promise 




THE MAYFLOWER IN THE HARBOR 



them that he would not disturb them as long as 
they behaved properly. The London Company at 
last gave them permission to settle in their terri- 
tory. 



Settlements 83 

The congregation at Leyden sailed from Holland 
in a ship called Speedwell but it was not well 
named for it was only with great difficulty that 
they reached Southhampton, England. Here they 
were joined by the Majjflower. The two vessels 
put to sea but the Speedwell was so leaky that 
it could not make the voyage. They stopped at 
Plymouth, England, and all those who hesitated 
were allowed to turn back. There were one hun- 
dred and two brave per- 
sons who went on board 
the Mayfloiver and con- 
tinued the voyage. 

They did not succeed 
in landing within the 
limits o f the London 
Company but were car- 
ried far to the north. 
After a storm v A'Ovage 

. " ^ o SIGNING THE COMPACT 

of sixty-four days they 

were made happy at the sight of the white 
sand of Cape Cod. Before they landed they 
held a meeting and agreed to make just and equal 
laws such as would be best for the general good 
of the colony. Each one was required to sign an 
agreement that he would obey the laws of the col- 
ony. John Carver, a deacon in the church, was 
named their first governor, and Miles Standish, 
who was much loved although not a member of 




84 



History of thk United States 



their religious order, was made their military 
leader. Even before they landed they laid the 
principle of good government. 

On a stormy day in December, 1620, they came 
out of the Mayflower upon a flat boulder which 
was called Plymouh Rock. Captain John Smith, 




LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS 



who had been there before the arrival of the Pil- 
grims, had named the place Plymouth on his map 
of New England. They liked the name because 
it reminded them of England. Their landing was 
not signaled by the military display that marked 
the arrival of the Spaniards nor were there seen 
the traces of idleness which were noticeable in the 



Settlements 



85 



settlers of Jamestowu. These were gentlemen in 
the full meaning which the word carries. With 
snow and ice under their feet, with a wintry blast 
driving the cold to their very marrow, with a heavy 
forest hemming them 
in and concealing the 
hirking savage and the 
howling wild beast, 
these men began to 
build homes. The 
Mayflotver sheltered 
their wives and child- 
ren until the gnarled 
timber was shaped in- 
to rude though some- 
w hat comfortable 
homes. The winter 
was long and severe 
and many of this 
brave band were laid 
to rest in their burying 
ground. Their graves 
were early sown to 
grain in order that the Indians might not suspect 
that so many of their number had died. 

It is difficult for us to understand how much 
these Pilgrims suffered during that first winter. 
Their food supply was so low that at one time each 
one was given only five kernels of corn three times 
a day. Their brave hearts did not fail them and 




GOING TO CHURCH 



86 



History of the: United Staters 



they cared for each other as best they could but 
half of their number died before the summer 
came. John Carver, their governor, lived through 
that trying winter but suddenly passed away while 

scattering seed for the 
summer harvest. They 
buried him on the hillside 
where so many of their 
company had been placed 
and selected the pious and 
kind-hearted Bradford to 
succeed him as governor 
of the colony. 

All through the summer 
they were happy with their 
work and at its close they 
began to gather their har- 
vests and prepare for the 
long winter. Their bar- 
ley and Indian corn had 
yielded good returns and 
game was so plentiful that 
**four men in one day killed as much as, with a 
little help beside, served the company almost a 
week." The people of that little colony could see 
so many reasons why they should be thankful that 
their governor gave an order for a three-day feast 
of thanksgiving. This was the begining of our 
Thanksgiving observance. Men were sent into 
the woods for wild turkey, housewives busied 




BREWSTER'S CHAIR 



Settlements 



87 



Elder 
said : 



themselves in their kitchens and 

was sent to Massasoit to invite 

Indians to their feast. 

stand the meaning of 

phetic words when he 

come shall look back to 

this hour and these 

scenes of agonizing trial, 

this day of small things, 

and say, ^Here was our 

beginning as a people. 

These were our fathers. 

Through their trials we 

inherit our blessings. 

Their faith is our 

faith; their hope our 

hope ; their God our 

God. 



a messenger 

the friendly 

To-dav we can under- 



Brewster 's 



pro- 



' ^ Generations 



> ?? 




MAP OF PLYMOUTH 



SUGGESTIONS 

How long between the first and second English settlements ? 
Why did the English colonies succeed better than those of 
France or Spain? 

Tell the story of the Pilgrims. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

How the Pilgrims Came to Plymouth. — Colonial Stories Re- 
told from St. Nicholas. 

Landing of the Pilgrims. — (Felicia D. Henians.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
The Pilgrims sought and found freedom to worship God. 



88 



History of th^ United States 



KING PHILIP'S WAR 
First Lessons in Colonial Warfare 

At the end of the first half century after the land- 
ing of the Pilgrim Fathers the population of the 
New England colonies had increased to over fifty 
thousand. The settlements had been made mainly 

along the coast but there 
were a few pioneer towns 
in the interior. The rap- 
idly increasing number of 
white men alarmed the In- 
dians. They teaw their 
hunting grounds changed 
to cultivated fields and 
they f orsaw that the land 
which had been theirs for 
so many years was soon 
to belong to the white 
man. The settlers had 
bought their land from the 
Indians and had persuaded many of the red men 
to drop their wild and savage manner of living and 
adopt the Christian religion. 

The old chief Massasoit, who had been such a 
good friend to the settlers, died and left two sons 
whom the English named Alexander and Philip. 
Alexander succeeded his father in authoritv and 




KING PHILIP 



Settlements 89 

was one clay brought to Plymouth to answer to the 
charge of plotting against the English. While he 
was there he became ill and died before he could 
be returned to his people. This was ground for 
suspicion and the superstitious red men believed 
he had been foully treated. His brother Philip 
succeeded him and it was not long until there was 
a general feeling of unrest throughout the English 
colonies. At last King Philip was sent for and 
he entered into a treaty which he kept for three 
years. 

The next news of an outbreak came from a young 
Indian who had studied at Harvard College and 
could speak the English language with ease. 
Philip burst into tears when he heard that eight or 
nine settlers had been killed but wdien the war had 
really begun he threw himself into the struggle. 
The Indians continued to slaughter the wdiite set- 
tlers wherever they could find them but they were 
driven by the wdiites into the forests and swamps. 

At last King Philip returned to his home in 
proud despair, but when one of his people sug- 
gested to him that it woidd be best to make peace 
with the whites, he slew^ him for daring to men- 
tion such humiliation. The brother of the slain 
man went to the camp of the Englishmen and 
offered to show them where King Philip Avas con- 
cealed. The Englishmen fell upon the Indian 
camp by surprise and took King Philip's little 



90 History o^ the: United States 

son as a prisoner. This broke the courage of their 
brave leader and he cried out, "My heart breaks, 
I am ready to die.'' He was followed to his hiding 
place and killed by a bullet from an Indian's 
musket. 

The war with the Indians was ended and their 
power was completely broken. Scarcely a hundred 
men were left in one of the strongest tribes and 
all of the tribes had lost heavily. The English, 
too, had suffered. Over six hundred men had given 
up their lives and there was scarcely a family 
which did not mourn %e loss of some loved one. 
Twelve or thirteen towns had been utterly de- 
stroyed and more than six hundred houses had 
been burned. The estimated loss reached more 
than the then enormous sum of half a million dol- 
lars. 

Through these trying times England had not 
even offered to help the struggling colonists and 
the sturdy Englishmen would not beg for assist- 
ance from the mother country. The king of En- 
gland was careful to exact every penny for the 
duties on the things the colonists shipped. Near 
the close of this war he established a custom house 
or place where all of the royal duties could be col- 
lected. These were trying times for the colonists 
but they were learning lessons which would be use- 
ful to them in the years which were to come. 



Se:ttlkme:nts 91 

SUGGESTIONS 
Prepare for your teacher a list of the words used in this 
lesson which you do not understand. Tell the story of King 
Philip. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Old Times in the Colonies. — (C. C. Coffin.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

King Philip was a proud warrior. He wept when he learned 
that there must be war between the settlers and Indians. En- 
gland did not help her colonists in this war. 



92 



History of thk United States 



THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 
Peter Stiiyi'esant, the Last of the Dutch Governors 

We are sometimes inclined to believe that En- 
gland was the only country that planted colonies in 
the New World, but we must not forget that after 
England defeated the great Spanish Armada there 

still remained France 
and Holland to dis- 
pute the territory 
with the English. The 
land which the French 
claimed lay so far to 
the north and west in 
the region of the St. 
Lawrence and in the 
valley of the Missis- 
sippi that the English 
gave them little 
thought in those early 
years of settlement but 

MAP OF DUTCH SETTLEMENT it ^yaS qultC OthcrwlSC 

with the Dutch. Holland was slow to realize the 
commercial value of the discoveries of Henry Hud- 
son. The Dutch West India Comx3any was organ- 
ized to encourage trade with America. 




^} New //ri^EM 
i/ A m ste rd a m/j<^ ---^^^^p' 




Settlements 



93 



The newly organized company called their land 
New Netheiiand and it lay between the Massa- 
chusetts colony on the north and the Virginia col- 
ony on the south. The distance between the two 

colonies was great 

enough to insure free- | 

dom of thought and of 

life for each of them. 

The English Puritan 

could liye in his way; 

the Virginia cavalier 

could do as he liked; and 

the untrodden soil of the 

new continent offered a 

free life for the Dutch 

trader. Any person who 

could establish a colony of 

fifty persons might select 

for himself anywhere in 

New Netherland a tract of land not more than 

sixteen miles in length along one shore of a river, 

or eight miles on both shores, and in breadth as 

suited the location. 

There were only two restrictions: they were to 
buy the titles to their land from the Indians and 
tliey were not to allow any cotton or woolen goods 
to be manufactured in America. The mother 
country reserved the right to manufacture. Hol- 
land had long been known for her industries and 




A COLONIST IN AKMOR 



94 



History of the: United States 



her woolen and linen goods were known through- 
out the world and the mere mention of Dutch tiles 
and pottery told its own story. 

The owner of a large tract of land was called a 
patroon and the plan succeeded well for him. 
'^rhere were those who would gladly come as settlers 
but they could not bear even the expense of their 

fare. These could take 
up as much land as 
their need required 
and repay with inter- 
est whoever might 
bring them over. 

In the spring of 
1623 a party of colon- 
ists arrived at Man- 
hattan. When they 
were about to land 
they came upon a 
small French boat 
which was about to 
plant the fleur-de-lis, the banner of France, on the 
shore. A Dutch boat, armed with two cannons, was 
sent to escort the French out of the harbor. Thus 
ended the French efforts to get a foothold on the 
middle Atlantic sea-coast. Some people were 
landed at Manhattan, which means in the language 
of the Indian, ^Hhose who dwell upon an island.'' 
A little group of settlers ascended the Hudson 
river and built Fort Orange within the present site 




BUILDING HUM JOS I.\ XlOW YORK 



Seittlemknts 95 

of Albany and settled around it. The first Ameri- 
can-Dutch baby was born at this fort. 

About three years after the arrival of these first 
settlers, a man by the name of Minuit took com- 
mand of New Netherland. One of his first acts 
was to buy the land from the natives. He paid 
twenty-four dollars for the entire island of Man- 
hattan. It consisted of about twenty-two thousand 
acres. The wildest fancy could not have then sug- 
gested the fabulous price for which this same land 
would sell in the twentieth century. He estab- 
lished the fort of New Amsterdam. 

The power and influence of the patroons grew so 
rapidly that the company would giadh^ have 
changed the charter had it not been unjust to break 
faith with the colonists who had settled under its 
provisions. Each year the wealthy land owners 
took things more into their own hands, and little 
they cared for the struggling people who owned 
fewer acres of land than they. 

New Netherland was ruled over by several gov- 
ernors but the soldierly Peter Stuyvesant was the 
greatest of them all. There is something peculiar 
about his family name. It is a compound of a 
Dutch word which means to stir up with sand. It 
Avas probably the name of a breezy place on the 
seashore where the sand blew about and it was not 
uncommon for the names of places to become fam- 
ily names. It was certainly well suited to his char- 
acted for he was full of grit and possessed stirring 



96 History of thk United Statks 

qualities in no uncertain measure. He was a col- 
lege graduate and took great pride in liis knowl- 
edge of Latin. He had been a governor of Curacoa 
in the West Indies and his military service had 
cost him a leg. He was fearless in saying and do- 
ing whatever he believed to be right. 

In 1647 he arrived as the governor of New Neth- 
erland and the people were so delighted that they 
used nearly all of the powder in the fort in their 
military salutes to him. In his address to them he 
summed up his idea of government in these words : 
^^I shall govern you as a father his children for 
the advantage of the chartered West India Com- 
pany, and these burghers, and this land. ' ' Had the 
people known their lion-hearted, generous spirited 
governor better they probably would not have used 
quite so much of their powder. 

He began at once to set things aright but he soon 
found that he needed money to carry out his plans. 
The colonists were willing to furnish the funds 
necessary if they might have a voice or representa- 
tion in the government of their colony so it was 
agreed that they should elect nine men to assist, 
when called upon, in managing for the welfare of 
all. In return for this feeble voice in self-govern- 
ment the colonists agreed to allow him to increase 
their taxes on furs and other things which they 
were now exporting. This would furnish more 
money to satisfy the ever-greedy West India Com- 
pany. 



Settlements 97 

The success of the Dutch West ludia Company 
caused Sweden to want to plant a colony and sliare 
in the profits of the rapidly developing New World. 
Peter Minuit, a former governor of New Nether- 
land, Avas selected to lead the settlers to a good loca- 
tion. He felt injured because he had been dis- 
missed from New Netherland and heartily entered 
into the new project. He landed his colonists on 
the west shore of the Delaware Bay and bought a 
large tract of land from the Indians. He called it 
New Sweden just as the English had called their 
new world home New England and the Erench had 
christened theirs, Ncav Erance, and the people of 
Netherlands had cherished the memory of their 
homes across the sea in the name New Netherland. 
They built a fort and named it in honor of their 
queen, Eort Christiana. The Swedes were not 
welcome as settlers. The English in Virginia 
wrote to England for ]3ermission to drive them 
away and the Dutch sent them warning that it 
would be best for them to leave. 

Eor a dozen vears the Dutch su:ffered the colonv 
to exist, but when Sweden became engaged in war 
with Poland, the sturdy Peter Stuyvesant saw^ the 
golden opportunity to strike a blow. With seven 
w^arships and seven hundred soldiers he entered 
Delaware Bay and sailed up the river. The five 
hundred settlers of New Sweden were taken by sur- 
prise and there was nothing they could do but sur- 
render. The settlers were not disturbed. They 



98 



History of the: United States 



were simply to live under the flag of Holland in- 
stead of their Swedish flag. Little did the strong- 
headed Peter Stuyvesant think that he would soon 
be asked to take down the flag of his native land 
and hoist in its place the flag of England. 

The English were never quite satisfied to have 
the Dutch on land w^hich they claimed by right of 

the discoveries of the Cab- 
ots, although they had not 
occupied it. One day a 
messenger came riding at 
full speed to tell Governor 
Stuyvesant that the En- 
glish fleet had sailed from 
Boston and was hourly 
expected at Manhattan. 
Stuyvesant had at his com- 
mand only about one hun- 
PETER STUYVESANT ^^q^ flf ty tralucd soldlcrs 
and twenty mounted guns, a weak defense against 
so powerful a fleet. Stuyvesant consulted with the 
burgomasters and found them inclined to submit 
to the English. 

These thrifty Hollanders had again and again 
asked for laws that would protect them from such 
heavy taxes and that would give them a stronger 
voice in their government, but Stuyvesant had al- 
ways told them that the old laws must stand, and 
as to office holding, he had always said that if it 
was left to the common people to elect officers ^Hhat 




Se:ttlkme:nts 99 

we should have thieves on horseback and honest 
men on foot. ' ' The American idea of govermnent 
had no place in the thought of the brave governor 
but we shall soon see that the voice of the people 
was to be heard. 

At last a boat with a flag of truce landed and 
a half dozen Englishmen came ashore. They were 
escorted to the parlor of a nearby hotel, where 
Stuyvesant and the city officers received them 
politely. Their leader tried to show them how it 
would be to their advantage to }deld to the En- 
glish and handed a letter to Stuyvesant. Then the 
Englishmen returned to their boat. Meanwhile 
the great fleet was waiting in the harbor. Stuy- 
vesant read the letter aloud and his officers asked 
that it might be read to the crowd of citizens who 
by this time had gathered ouside. 

Stuyvesant, who feared that the generous offer 
of the English might influence the already discon- 
tented citizens, positively refused, and when his 
magistrate insisted, he flew into a rage and tore the 
letter into bits. One of their number gathered to- 
gether the scattered pieces and made a copy which 
was read to the anxious people. There were many 
who had grown tired of the arbitrary way in which 
they had been treated and were ready to accept 
the more generous offer of the English. 

Stuyvesant prepared an elaborate reply defend- 
ing the right of the Dutch title to New Netherland 
and sent it by four trusty friends to NicoUs, the 



100 History of the: United Stati:s 

English colonel. This was a time when the pen 
was not mightier than the sword for word was sent 
to the governor that, ^^I shall come with ships and 
soldiers, hoist a white flag at the fort, and I may 
consider your proposals.'' Stuyvesant did all in 
his power to rally his people to oppose the English 
and the self-willed leader hesitated even while the 
gunners stood with lighted matches, awaiting his 
decision. The wisest and most influential men on 
his council told him that ^^ resistance is not soldier- 
ship, it is sheer madness.'' Women and children 
flocked about the brave old man and with tear- 
stained faces begged him to surrender. The order 
to fire was not given. In a few moments the white 
flag fluttered over Fort Amsterdam and thus the 
rule of Holland in America came to an end and 
New Amsterdam became New York. 



Skttlkmknts 101 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why did not Holland want her colonists to manufacture 
anything? 

Who was a patroon? 

How did the Dutch treat the French? 

Why did Sweden want to plant a colony? 

How did the Dutch treat the Swedes ? 

Write the story of how the flag of Holland was replaced by 
tlie flag of the Enghsh. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Old Dutch Times in New York. — (Thomas Wentzvorth Hig- 
ginson.) 

The Story of Manhattan. — (Scribner.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Peter Stuyvesant was the last of the Dutch governors. He 
did all that he could to keep New Amsterdam for Holland, 
Imt he did not succeed. 



102 



History of thk United States 



WILLIAM PENN 

The Founder of Pennsylvania 

It was fortunate for the poor and oppressed of 
Europe that America was discovered. This vast 
territory offered a safe retreat for many whose 
lives had been narrowed by laws which did not 

recognize the brotherhood 
of man. In England there 
lived a little boy whose 
father was an admiral and 
possessed wealth and 
had great influence with 
the king. When he was 
sixteen he entered Oxford 
College and gained the 
reputation of being a good 
scholar and an athlete. He 
was fond of field sports, was a good oarsman and 
loved Greek. It is said that he could speak fluently 
the Latin, Italian, French, German and Dutch lan- 
guages. 

While at Oxford he was converted to the Quaker 
faith. The Quakers were a religious sect that was 
greatly persecuted in England. The boy's father, 
Admiral Penn, was determined that his son, Wil- 
liam, should follow in his footsteps and sent him to 
Paris with some fashionable friends, thus hoping 




WILLIAM PENN 



Settle:mi:nts 103 

to cure liim of Ms Quaker notions. He spent sev- 
eral years in travel and study but not once did he 
renounce his Quaker faith. While he was in Ire- 
land, he was put in prison because he attended a 
Quaker meeting. His father, who was a loyal 
member of the Church of England, w^as thoroughly 
disgusted with his son. One day he told William 
that, ^^You may thee and thou other folk as you 
may like, but don't dare to thee and thou the king, 
or the duke of York, or me.'' 

The king was inclined to treat the matter in a 
jovial way and one day when he met the young 
man, he removed his hat. ^^Why dost thou remove 
thy hat, friend Charles'?" said William Penn. 
^^ Because," replied the king, ^^ Wherever I am, it 
is customary for only one to remain covered!" 
Admiral Penn could not thus lightly pass over 
what he considered his son's obstinacy and turned 
him away from home without money. 

Lady Penn begged that their son be not so 
harshly treated and an intimate friend of Sir Wil- 
liam explained to him that he ought to be proud of 
a son of such noble character and of such varied 
abilities. The father at last repented and William 
was restored to full favor. He inherited a large 
estate and he planned to establish a home for his 
Quaker friends. His attention was directed to 
America as a good place. In 1680 he began to plan 
for a tract of land in America. His father had 
never received all his salarv as a naval officer and 



104 History of thk United States 

had lent the crown money. Penn sent a petition to 
the king asking that in payment of the debt he be 
given a tract of land lying north of Maryland. On 
the 4th of March, 1681, the king, Charles II, 
placed his signature to the charter and Penn be- 
came lord of a vast territory of over forty thou- 
sand square miles, or a tract of land about the size 
of England. 

So little was known about the geography of this 
country that it required more than one hundred 
years to settle the boundary between Pennsylvania, 
Maryland and Virginia. Commissioners at- 
tempted to survey it but could not agree. To com- 
plete the work, skilled surveyors, Mason and 
Dixon, were brought from England. They com- 
pleted all but the last thirty-six miles when Indian 
troubles caused a suspension of the work. At the 
end of every fifth mile they placed a stone, brought 
from England, which was engraved on one side 
with the arms of Lord Baltimore and on the other 
with that of the Penns. The remaining thirty-six 
miles were surveyed by Alexander McLean of 
Pennsylvania and Joseph Nevelle of Virginia. 
This line is always known in history as the ^ ^ Mason 
and Dixon" line. 

Penn planned to call his i^rovince New Wales, 
because he had been told that there were hills w^est 
of the Delaware. The king decreed otherwise and 
named it Sylvania, meaning Woodland, and while 
he held the draft of the charter in his hand he 



Settle:me:nts 105 

added Penn before Sylvania. Penn did not like 
this for lie thought it appeared egotistical. The 
quick-witted Charles II told him that he would not 
keep it on his account but to keep in memory the 
name of the admiral, his noble father. 

In 1682 Penn sailed in his ship Welcome for 
his new province. He started with a hundred pas- 
sengers on board but more than thirty died from 
small-pox before they reached their new home. 
Near the end of October, Penn landed at Newcastle 
and was received with shouts of welcome by the 
Dutch and Swedish settlers. Penn showed his 
deed of authority and an agent of the duke of 
York formally delivered up the province by giving 
Penn ^ ' turf and twig and water, ' ' as the old feudal 
law said should be done. The journey up the Dela- 
ware was continued in an open boat and the site 
for his city was reached the first week in Novem- 
ber. There was a meeting of the delegates from 
the settlers and rules by which they were to be gov- 
erned were discussed. This colony was to be a free 
home for all mankind. 

He told them that, ^^You shall be governed by 
laws of your own making. I shall not usurp the 
right of any, or oppress his person.'' Penn then 
began to lay out the city which he called Phila- 
delphia, which means ' ' brotherly love. ' ' The streets 
were named for the trees, pine, chestnut, w^alnut 
and cedar which grew near. The idea of self-gov- 
ernment took good root in this colony and in this 



106 History o^ the Unite:d State:s 

same city ninety-three years later the Declaration 
of Independence was signed. 

At first, settlers came faster than log cabins 
could be built for them. Many were forced to live 
in caves until houses were built. In less than two 
years there were more than six hundred houses. 
Many of them were frame and some of bright red 
brick. 

The deputy governor, who had been with the set- 
tlers before Penn's arrival, had exchanged many 
pledges of friendship with the red men of the for- 
est. Penn called a council of the chiefs of the 
neighboring tribes. They met under the open sky 
and when Penn saw them assembled under the 
spreading branches of a great elm tree he went to 
meet them without weapon of any kind and with no 
mark of rank except a sash of blue silk. The In- 
dians were pleased with the stranger and they 
formed a semi-circle to hear the word of their great 
brother explained to them by an interpreter. He 
said to them: ^^ Brothers, listen! Brothers, we 
are come to bring good words to your ear. We call 
you brothers, too ; yes, the red men on this side of 
the big water and the white men on the other side 
are all children of the Great Spirit, and so must 
love one another and never fall out.'' When he 
had finished, the Sachem slowly arose and thus re- 
plied: ^'Brother, your words are few; we feel 
them burning in our hearts. Brother, we feel that 
the Great Spirit is good ; our hearts always told us 



Se;ttle:mi:nts 



107 



so, and we see it with our eyes. This big water 
wliich runs along by this Shackamaxon, witli all 
the fish in it, speaks that the Great Spirit is good ; 
this ground that grows so much corn, beans, and 
tobacco for us speaks that the Great Spirit is good, 




PENN'S TREATY WITH THE INDIANS 

and would not have done such things for us if he 
had not been good and loved us so much/' He 
then made a pledge of friendship which should en- 
dure as long as the sun and moon gave light. 

As time passed and the Indians found every 
word of the treaty fulfilled by Mignon, as they 
called him, the name of the whiteman who could 
keep faith with the savage spread far and wide. 
Penn received news from England which made it 



108 History of thi: United State:s 

necessary for liim to go back to his home. He ex- 
pected soon to return to his colony but persecutions 
and imprisonments and family sorrows followed 
each other in such quick succession that it was 
many years before he could even visit his ^4ioly 
experiment'' as he called it. Such was the be- 
ginning of one of the most prosperous of the thir- 
teen colonies. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Write the story of Pennsylvania, using the following topics : 

1. William Penn, the founder. 

2. How he treated the Indians. 

3. Success of his colony. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Colonial Children.— (i7ar/.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

William Penn will always be remembered as the founder of 
Pennsylvania. The word means Penn's Woods. Philadelphia 
means "brotherly love." 



I 



Se:tti.i:mknts io9 



THE LAST OF THE ENGLISH COLONIES 
Georgia, the Home of the Oppressed 

The other colonies about which we have learned 
were established for various reasons. Some for 
religious freedom, some to extend the territory of 
the parent country in the New World, and some to 
gain riches for the founder. James Oglethorpe, a 
wealthy military man of England, established his 
colony as a home for those who could not pay their 
debts. He said he intended to hold the land in 
trust for the poor and he selected as his motto for 
the colony, ^^Not for self but for others.'' 

The oppressed, not only of England, but of Ger- 
many and of other countries as well, flocked to his 
colony. The laws of England then were strict 
about debts and more than four thousand men 
were at that time in prison for debt. Oglethorpe 
believed that the punishment was too severe when 
their only crime had been misfortune. He spent a 
part of his fortune in paying the debts of some of 
these poor men and then received permission from 
King George to establish a colony in America as a 
home for them where they could begin life anew. 
He was given permission to occupy the land south 
of the Carolinas. The Spaniards had settled in 
Florida and claimed the land farther to the north 
than the present boundary of Florida. This colony 



110 History oi? the Unite:d States 

was to serve as a wedge to keep the Spaniards from 
extending their territory and to protect the settlers 
of the Carolinas from Spanish invasion. Ogle- 
thorpe named the colony Georgia in honor of his 
king. 

In 1733 he landed with thirty-five families. The 
settlers from South Carolina gave them rice and 
cattle to help them until they could help themselves. 
Oglethorpe bought the land from the Indians and 
located his follow^ers at Savannah. He lived with 
liis colony and taught the people how to lay out 
their town and how to build their houses. For more 
than a year he lived in a tent stretched beneath 
four wide-spreading pine trees. 

He established friendly relations wdth the In- 
dians. One day one of the chiefs brought him a 
buffalo skin, on the inner side of w4iich was painted 
the head and feathers-of an eagle. ^^Here is a little 
present, ' ' said the chief. ^ ' The feathers of the eagle 
are soft, and signify love ; the buffalo skin is warm, 
and is the emblem of protection; therefore, love 
and protect our families.'' The Indians liked 
Oglethorpe because he treated them fairly and be- 
cause they admired his military appearance and 
his great endurance. These were qualities which 
appealed to the Indian wherever he found them. 

As the colony developed, the dominating spirit 
of Oglethorpe was not so acceptable to the colon- 
ists. They early caught the spirit of liberty which 
the free and unclaimed America suggested. His 



Se:tti.e:me:nts ill 

laws were strict and he did not allow the colonists 
a voice in their own government. No one was 
allowed to own land in his own name and each 
man was assigned fifty acres of land, no more no 
less. He did not own it, he could not sell it and at 
his death it was given to his oldest son, or if he 
had no son, it was returned to the trustees of the 
colony to be assigned to some one else. The wife 
or daughter could not hold land. 

It was his plan to establish a military colony 
which could be called upon at any time to repel a 
Spanish invasion. The expected trouble with the 
Spaniards came but Oglethorpe by his wise man- 
agement kept the Spaniards from getting posses- 
sion of Georgia. After ten years of faithful ser- 
vice in the colony, he returned to England. He was 
made a major-general in the English army. He 
never returned to the colony for which he had so 
faithfully labored without hope of reward. The 
control of the colony passed to the king of England 
and thus it remained until the Revolution. 



112 History o^ the: United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why do we honor Oglethorpe? 
What was his motto? 

Difficult w^ords — invasion, dominating, trustee, assign, mis- 
fortune. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

The Thirteen Colonies. — {Helen A. Smith.) 
Source Book. — {Hart.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Virginia was the first colony and Georgia was the last. It 
was named Georgia in honor of King George. 



GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 

THE THIRTEEN COLONIES 
Their Homes an Index to Their Lives 

From the planting of the first English colony at 
Jamestown until Georgia was settled by James 
Oglethorpe there was a lapse of one hundred and 
twenty-six years. The number of colonies had now 
increased to thirteen. They were located along 
the Atlantic coast and extended from Maine to 
Georgia. For convenience we group them in three 
classes. The New England Colonies: Massachus- 
etts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hamp- 
shire; the Middle Colonies: New York, New Jer- 
sey, Pennsylvania and Delaware; and the South- 
ern Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North and 
South Carolina and Georgia. 

Brave and determined people had made their 
home here because they had sought freedom from 
some form of oppression and now we shall watch 
this same spirit of freedom grow and develop. At 
first they were quite dependent upon their mother 
country but little by little they learned that they 
need not rely so much u|)on their old homeland. 
The Puritan in New England, the cavalier in Vir- 



114 History of the: Unite:d State:s 

ginia, the Quaker in Pennsylvania, and the Dutch 
in New York had all come to America for the 
oj^portunity to live in their own way. 

At first these colonists knew little of each other 
but gradually they came to understand that they 
were in a measure kindred spirits even if they did 
differ in their religious beliefs and in their man- 
ner of living. The Puritan of Massachusetts when 
he became dissatisfied could find a home in Con- 
necticut or Rhode Island and the Dutch of New 
York might find a welcome among the people of 
Pennsylvania. 

The homes of a country are a good index to the 
lives of the people. This was true in the lives of 
the colonists. At first the houses were holes dug 
in the ground or sheds covered with branches or 
bark huts. When New York had thirty houses all 
but one of them were hovels. A little later their 
cabins had hewn logs or ^ ^ puncheons ' ' for their 
floors. They did not have windows with transpar- 
ent glass but instead their rooms were lighted 
through sheets of oiled paper. At evening they sat 
about their fires reading books that had been 
printed in the homeland, or listened to the strange 
stories of pioneer life and adventures, with no light 
save the flicker of the pine knots in the flre-place 
or the glimmer of a candle or greased rag. These 
lights now seem to us all too dim as we compare 
them with the brilliant gleam of our electric lights. 
The colonists did not long live in this primitive 



Growth and De:velopmj:nt 



115 



fashion for tlie progressive spirit of these colonists 
could not be content with such surroundings. They 
longed for the comforts that they had left and as 
they began to use what they had, they found that a 
great opportunity was before them to do whatever 
they most desired. The 
great tall and beauti- 
fully formed forest 
trees furnished ex- 
cellent material with 
which to build homes. 
Bricks were made 
from the clay. These 
were used in the great 
chimneys Avhich were 
usually placed near 
the center of the 
house. A few houses 
were built entirely of 

brick but they were looked upon almost as palaces. 
How well they builded may be seen by the style of 
colonial architecture which is noticeable in man 3^ 
of our best buildings of our own time. 

It would be interesting if we could go with one 
of these colonists as he busied himself with his 
daily round of work and at evening follow him to 
his home and visit with him as he entertainingly 
tells of his house with its large hall and rooms on 
either side and of the rare old pieces of furniture 
which he had brought across the sea. With what 




SPINNING FLAX 



116 History of the: United States 

pride lie would open the great chest filled with ex- 
pensive clothing which his family inherited, for in 
those times fashions did not change as rapidly as 
now and it was not uncommon for richly em- 
broidered garments to be kept in a family for many 
years. Clothing was often willed the same as land 
or other property. 

In the Southern colonies the soil was very fertile 
and people lived on great plantations. One man 
would often own many hundreds of acres of land. 
Sometimes the grounds about the home were so ex- 
tensive that a live oak avenue a mile long would 
lead from the outer gate to the house. The work 
on these great plantations was done mostly by 
negro slaves who lived in houses which had been 
built for them. At this time in the development of 
our country, negro slaves were held in almost all 
of the colonies. Many white men had been brought 
here from England, and especially in the Southern 
colonies, they were bound to rich planters to work 
for a certain number of years. There was no law 
forbidding a colonist to hold slaves. 

In the Middle colonies the homes reflected the 
character of the peo23le who lived in them and in 
many ways resembled the old homes that they had 
left. The Dutch mansion was usually built of 
brick with a gable end facing the street. The front 
door was decorated with a heavy brass knocker 
which was daily polished. Every family kept a 
cow, and the tinkling bells at morning and evening 



Growth and De^vklopme^nt 



117 



as the cows went and came from the common pas- 
ture marked the milldng time. We shall always 
be grateful to those early Dutch settlers for intro- 
ducing into our country the happy Christmas cus- 
toms, the colored Easter eggs, and New Year visit- 
ing. About their homes, were planted, many of the 
gay colored flowers which they had loved in Hol- 
land. 




AX EARLY MEETING HOUSE 



The New England home was very plain. There 
was no trace of the royal st3de of living which was 
noticeable in the Southern colonies. They brought 
with them many of the Old England customs and 
names which they loved, but most of all they en- 
joyed their freedom to worship God as they pleased. 




118 History of the: Unite;d States 

Their laws were very strict and tliey were espe- 
cially careful about what they did on Sunday. 
They did not have bells for their churches, but a 
man stood on the door-step and called the people 
together with the tap of a drum. 
Everybody was compelled to attend 
church on Sunday and every man 
was armed with a gun, so that they 
were always prepared if the Indians 
should attack them. 

The men were seated on one side 
of the room and the women on the 
other, while the bovs were given a 

:;olonial Dame Who 

X^e^fS)m churc^h P^^^^ ^J thcmselvcs. People were 
not allowed to nod in church, for 
there was a watchman who carried a wand tipped 
at one end with the foot of a rabbit and at 
the other with the tail; and the men and boys, 
who were found napping, were gently tapped 
with the heavy end of this stick while the 
women were reminded of their duty by gently tick- 
ling their foreheads with the lighter end of the 
same stick. Their Sunday began at sunset Sat- 
urday and lasted till sunset Sunday. 

The boys and girls of those far away days could 
not look forward to a university education, al- 
though schools were early established, and when 
Boston was only six years old, the sum of two 
thousand dollars was given for a school which we 
now call Harvard University. The New England 



Growth and Dkvelopmknt • 119 

boys and girls had to work hard, for the settlement 
of any new country requires much work ; but it was 
not so much their work, that has made New En- 
gland famous, as it was the lessons of self-control 
which these young people learned. They had 
learned to put duty before pleasure, and this was the 
secret of their wonderful success. 

As early as 1647 every town, and most of the 
New England settlers lived in towns, was ordered 
to have a free school. If the town contained over 
one hundred families, it had a grammar school. In 
Connecticut, a town that did not keep a school at 
least three months in the year was fined. At the 
beginning of the eighteenth century, ten ministers 
brought together a number of books, each one say- 
ing as he laid down his gift, ^'I give these books 
for founding a college in Connecticut." This was 
the beginning of Yale College. 

In the Middle colonies, churches of various de- 
nominations were established. The Swedes had a 
meeting house even before William Penn came 
with his Quaker brethren. The Dutch domine of 
New York was sometimes paid his salary in beaver 
skins. The schoolmaster was not so well paid. He 
was often compelled to add to his salary by ringing 
the church bell, digging graves, or acting as town 
clerk. 

There were no steel or gold pens in those days. 
The only pens to be had were those made of goose 



120 History oj? the United States 

quills and each person whittled out his own pen as 
best he could. 

Their use of capital letters was quite different 
from ours. They wrote all nouns, verbs, and other 
principal words of a sentence with capital letters. 
Their spelling too was peculiar. They did not have 
dictionaries to which they might go to find the 
correct spellilig of words, but each one spelled 
according to his own fancy. The verb ''he'' was 
often spelled ''Bee'' with a capital letter at the 
beginning of it. 

Education and churches were not neglected in 
the Southern colonies, although it was more difficult 
for them to hold public gatherings on account of 
the large plantations which scattered the popula- 
tion. They cared for their ministers by having a 
law that each minister should have the use of a 
hundred acres of land and that he should also have 
a portion of the ^^best and first gathered tobacco.'' 

Many of the planters of the Southern colonies 
employed well educated men to teach their children. 
There was no system of free schools for all of the 
children, because the families lived so far apart on 
the great plantations that the children could not 
meet at a common school house as they could in 
the New England colonies where almost every- 
body lived in villages. 

The same spirit of thrift and enterprise that 
characterized the early settlers is noticeable in the 
early educational life. What they lacked in books 



Growth and De:vi:lopmi:nt 121 

and equipments, they made up by observation and 
careful study of what they had. So well did the 
young people of those days make use of every op- 
portunity, that not only England but all the world 
was compelled to recognize the intelligence and 
genuine worth of the rugged boys of the then 
American wilderness. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Name the thirteen colonies. Write of an imaginary visit to 
the home of one of the early colonists. 

Find pictures or make models of New England houses, of 
Dutch houses, and of colonial homes in the south. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Grandfather's Chair. — (Hazvthorne.) 
Colonial Children.— (i7ar^) 

SO^IETHING TO REMEMBER 

The children of colonial times were happy and industrious. 
They became men and women whom the world honored. 



122 



History of the: United STATTi:s 



NEW FRANCE IN AMERICA 
France Claims the Great Interior 

While the English were busily engaged plant- 
ing their colonies along the Atlantic seaboard, 
there was a powerful country in Europe that was 
quietly, but persistently, taking possession of the 
great interior of America. Because of the discov- 




A WINTER SCENE IN NEW FRANCE 

eries of Cartier, France claimed the St. Lawrence 
valley and had |)lanted colonies to make good her 
claims. Her bold and far-sighted explorers had ex- 
plored the Great Lakes, had followed the head 
waters of the Wisconsin, the Illinois and the Wa- 
bash rivers whose waters were mingled with those 



Growth and Di:vklopme:nt 



123 



^^ 



W^^ ^ TTZ 






trn'r-M"^ 



of the Mississippi, or the Father of Waters, as the 
Indians of the long ago called it. They had de- 
scended the great river to its mouth and had there 
placed a colony to seal their claim to the great in- 
terior. 

In 1671, the Frenchmen formally took posses- 
sion of the great northwest. They invited repre- 
sentatives of the Indian tribes of the lake region 
and surrounding 
country to a great 
feast. Every device 
was used to enter- 
tain the red men of 
the forest. Games 
of ball and mock 
fights engaged the 
savages and they 
were feasted with 
w i 1 d fowl, abund- 
ance of fish, and the 
fruits of the season. map of the great northwest 
After they had been entertained for several weeks, 
the people, both savage and French, assembled on 
a lofty hill, which overlooked the Sault Ste. Marie 
Mission, in, what is now, northern Michigan. Both 
Indians and white men either wrote their names 
or made their marks on a j)iece of paper which 
showed that France claimed all of the land from 
the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and from 
the eastern coast of Labrador as far west as the 




124 History of the: United States 

land might go. Some thought that it might ex- 
tend two or three hundred miles west of the Wis- 
consin river. A glance at your map will show how 
much more they were claiming than they really 
knew. They planted a heavy wooden cross, and, 
close beside it, they set a wooden post with the lilies 
of France cut in it. The Frenchmen gathered 
around asd chanted a Latin hymn, while the com- 
mander held up a piece of sod as a sign of their 
having taken possession. The Indian braves 
quietly disappeared in the forest, little understand- 
ing what it meant to join, heart and hands, with the 
]^renchmen. 



SUGGESTIONS 

Trace the St. Lawrence river. 
France claimed this valley. 
Trace the Mississippi. 

France claimed all of the territory drained by it and its 
tributaries. 

Explain what was meant by the northwest. 

Difficult words — persistent, descend, device, representative. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
How Our Grandfathers Lived. — (Hart.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

France claimed the land from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf 
of Mexico, and from the eastern coast of Labrador as far west 
as the land extended. 



Growth and Development 125 



JOLIET AND MARQUETTE 

The Missionary's Message to the Indians 

France, not unlike other countries of Europe, 
was eager to get control of as mucli of the New 
World as possible. Linked with her desire for ter- 
ritory, was the desire to convert the Indians to the 
Christian faith. Wherever her explorers went, 
there, too, went a Jesuit missionary, and sometimes 
the duties of an explorer and of a missionary were 
united. 

A waterway from the Great Lakes to the Pacific 
Ocean was greatly desired, and they believed that 
this might be found in the Mississippi, for, although 
they had long known of the discovery of the great 
De Soto, they still believed that the mighty Mis- 
sissippi flowed into the Pacific Ocean. Louis XIV 
sent word to the governor of New France that 
he wished him to give attention to the passage 
to the South Sea, as they called the Pacific 
Ocean. Joliet, who had been born in New France 
and w^as acquainted with the Indians, was selected 
to carry out the king's wishes. This was an oppor- 
tunity for the missionary to carry the Cross to his 
savage brothers. Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit 
priest, was chosen to accompany the daring Joliet. 
In company with five other Frenchmen, these two 
men, so different from each other and yet so well 



126 History of the United States 

suited to comfort and sustain each other, set out in 
two birch canoes. They took with them a generous 
supply of dried corn and smoked meat. From 
Green Bay, they ascended the Fox river to Lake 
Winnebago. The French had never been be- 
yond Green Bay, and they found that they were 
in need of guides. They assembled the chiefs of 
three Indian nations and told them that their gov- 
ernor had sent them, to explore new countries, and 
to tell them of the Creator. 

The Indians at first tried to discourage them by 
telling of the dangers of the great river and 
of the monsters that ^^ devoured men and canoes 
together.'' Seeing that the men were determined 
to go, they sent two guides, who helped carry the 
canoes across the country to the Wisconsin river. 
A seven days' voyage brought them to the Missis- 
sippi in June, 1673. 

For many days they floated down the beautiful 
river, until they came to an Indian village. As soon 
as the Indians knew of their arrival, they sent 
four old men to speak to them. They carried two 
pipes, ornamented with feathers. They marched 
slowly and first presented their pipes to the sun 
and then offered them to the strangers. Had they 
not taken the pipes, and at least pretended to 
smoke, they would have been considered enemies. 
They slept in the chief's hut and w^ere given belts 
and other articles made from the hides of bears and 
buffaloes. Thev were escorted to their canoes by 



Growth and Devklopment 127 

about six hundred people. Father Marquette tells 
us that these Indians belonged to the Illinois tribe, 
and that the name ^'Illinois/' in their language, 
means men. He thought that they were the most 
human Indians he had ever seen. 

As they continued their voyage down the river, 
they heard a great rushing of water and saw small 
islands of floating shrubbery coming out of the 
mouth of another river wliich flowed from the 
northwest. Here, they looked, for the first time, 
upon the seething, turbid waters of the Missouri 
which had been gathering its yellow sand in its 
course of three thousand miles. 

They now began to believe, judging from their 
compass, that the Mississippi flowed into the Gulf 
of Mexico, and not into the Gulf of California, as 
they had hoped. On and on, they went, until they 
came to the mouth of the Arkansas river. They 
found Indians, here, armed with bows and arrows, 
clubs, axes, and knives, and soon learned that they 
would not have hesitated at all to use them if an 
opportunity had been given. The Indians grouped 
themselves in three parties. One party stood on 
the bank to prevent the Frenchmen from landing, 
while the others plunged into the water to take 
possession of the canoes. The current was so 
strong that they could not reach the boats, so they 
returned to land. The Frenchmen then showed the 
pipe of peace, but the Indians continued to shower 
their arrows at them. At last, the Indians made 



128 History of the: Unite:d States 

signs for the strangers to come on shore, which 
they did, although they had fears for their safety. 

Father Marquette spoke to them in six di:fferent 
languages, but they could not understand any of 
them. At last they brought an old man who spoke 
the language of the Illinois tribe and could inter- 
pret for them. Marquette gave them presents and 
told them about God and the universe, and thej 
became so interested that they begged the mission- 
aries to stay with them. Father Marquette and Jo- 
liet counseled together and decided that they would 
attempt to go no further, for fear that they might 
be captured by the Spaniards. They had learned 
from the Indians that they were likely, soon, to 
reach the territory of the Spaniards with whom 
the Indians had been trading, and from whom they 
had learned their cruel mode of warfare. 

The two frail canoes could not cope with Span- 
ish arms. After a day's feast, the Frenchmen 
began their return to Canada, leaving the redis- 
covery of the mouth of the Mississippi to another. 

SUGGESTIONS 
Make a canoe or draw the picture of one. 
What was the pipe of peace? 
Tell some Indian stories about the pipe of peace. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Pioneer of the Mississippi Valley. — (McMtirray.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
The influence of these two men was noticeable for many 
years in the lives of the Indians of the Mississippi valley. 



(growth and Dkvelopmknt 



129 



ROBERT DE LA SALLE 
He Gave the Great Mississippi Valley to Prance 

The unfinished work of Joliet and Marquette 
was taken up by La Salle. He had been educated 
as a Jesuit, but had given up the work of a priest 
to engage in the fur trade in Canada, which offered 
such alluring opportunities. On the death of 
Father Marquette, La Salle was filled with a de- 
sii'e to complete the voyage to the mouth of the 
Mississippi and to plant a 
colony there. The disap- 
pointments which he met 
would have shaken the 
purpose of a less deter- 
mined man, but when once 
his heart was set on doing 
a thing, he would not give 
it up. 

He made three attempts 
before h e succeeded i n 
reaching the Illinois river. 
He then passed through it 
into the waters of the Mississippi and on to 
its very mouth. In the month of April, 1862, 
he planted the standard of France, and declared 
that all the territory drained by the great river 




LA SALLE 



130 History of thk United States 

and its tributaries belonged to France, and, in honor 
of Ms king, Louis XIY, named the country Loui- 
siana. 

He was so enthused with the idea of colonizing 
the valley of the Mississippi, that he made his way 
back to Quebec, and from there went to his old 
homeland to enlist the interest of his king in estab- 
lishing a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi 
and then in connecting it with Canada by a large 
number of military stations. The king was well 
pleased with the plan and fitted him out with four 
ships and two hundred and eighty persons to 
establish his first colony. 

La Salle intended to sail directly to the mouth 
of the Mississippi but his pilot missed it. It is not 
really known that he missed it intentionally. They 
sailed beyond the mouth of the great river and 
finally landed at Matagorda on the Texas shore. 
One of the ships was lost in landing, and thus went 
down the provisions which the king had supplied 
with such a lavish hand. After two years of suf- 
fering and endless disputes, La Salle determined 
to find, if possible, the Mississippi and ascend it 
until he might find help at some French missionary 
fort. He set out with sixteen companions, but they 
had not gone far until his companions became dis- 
satisfied, and, one day, while La Salle was only a 
short distance from the camp, two of them fired at 
him from their hiding in the tall prairie grass. 
Thus, suddenly, was cut short, the life of a man who 



Growth and Development 131 

had done so mucli to extend French territory. Only 
seven of his companions ever lived to reach a 
French settlement. Abont sixty military and trad- 
ing posts were scattered along the great river, but 
the failure of the French to occupy and to colonize 
the Mississippi valley weakened their power and 
put off, until a much later date, the development of 
one of the most productive sections of the North 
American continent. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Tell the story of La Salle 

Difficult words. — enthuse, enlist, dissatisfied, Jesuit. 

SO^IETHING TO READ 
American History Stories. — (Pratt.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

His effort to reach the mouth of the Mississippi was unsuc- 
cessful. He failed to plant his colony at the mouth of the Mis- 
sissippi. 



132 History of thk United Stati:s 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 

George Washington, the Man of the Hour 

As we pause at the very beginning of open hos- 
tilities between two great countries contending for 
territory in the New World, a mighty picture rises 
before us. We see, now, that the eighteenth cen- 
tury was one of war. It was a time of change from 
the old way of living to a new and a better kind of 
life. In the background, we find England and 
France at war with each other in the old world, and 
it was but natural that their colonies in America 
should take up the quarrel. Nestled along the At- 
lantic seaboard, were the English colonies, while to 
the north and west were the French, fewer in num- 
bers but fortified with their military posts dotting 
the interior, and allied with them were many of 
the Indian tribes. 

The English based their claim to the disputed 
territory on the splendid services rendered by the 
Cabots. The ambitious spirit of the French could 
not endure to allow the English to overlap their 
territory which had been bought by the lives of so 
many of their missionaries. 

Both countries found it profitable to engage in 
the fur trade with the Indians in the region north 
of the Ohio river. George II, King of England, 
granted to a company of leading men of Virginia 



Growth and De:vi:lopment 133 

a tract of five hundred thousand acres. This grant 
was to be located nortli of the Oliio river, and in- 
cluded the territory between the Alleghany and 
Monongahela rivers. The association was called the 
Ohio Company. Even before the company could 
arrange to send out a colony to occupy this terri- 
tory, the French governor of Canada sent three 
hundred men to occupy this same territory. They 
really acted as though all of the fur bearing ani- 
mals of this great continent were gathered together 
in the country north of the Ohio river; but they 
were in truth getting ready to settle the question 
as to who should own the territory between the Mis- 
sissippi river and the Appalachian mountains. 

This was a critical time for both the English and 
the French in America. Men of courage and of 
wisdom were needed. There lived in Virginia, a 
young man who possessed the qualities of noble 
manhood. He was born of good English ancestry 
on the 22nd of February, 1732, in a plain country 
home which overlooked the Potomac river. His 
parents, Augustine and Mary Washington, gave 
him the plain and unassuming name, George. We 
have learned, since, to love the name of George 
Washington not because there is anything unusual 
about the name, but because of the sterling quali- 
ties of character which this boy possessed. 

AYhen lie Avas about three years of age, his father 
moved to another plantation in Virginia which lay 
along the Rappahannock river, near Fredericks- 



134 History of the United States 

burg. Here was Ms boyhood home, here he had 
the meadows for his playground, and here he 
learned to ride, an accomplishment which served 
him so well in the work which afterwards was his. 
He went to school at an '^old field school-house'' 
which was taught by one of his father's tenants, 
named ^' Hobby." His older brother, Lawrence, 
returned from school in England when George was 
about seven or eight years old. To the younger 
brother, he was a model to be looked up to, and 
from him seems to have been kindled, in the life 
of the younger brother, that military spirit which 
had smouldered in the blood of the Washingtons 
for many generations. He saw his brother fitted 
out for military life in the West Indies, and his 
games took on a military air.- His schoolmates 
became soldiers, sent, here and there, at his com- 
mand. 

A¥hen he was ten years of age, his father died. 
He had been away from home on a visit and 
reached his father's bedside just in time to receive 
his parting message. From that hour, added re- 
sponsibilities came into his life. His mother, who 
was a sensible and conscientious woman, carefully 
trained her children and early taught them the 
underlying principles of true manhood and noble 
womanhood. 

His education was practical, and, even as a boy, 
he was accurate and persevering. His books and the 
records which he made are models of neatness. He 



Growth and DEv:eLOPMENT 135 

somehow found time to do well whatever he had to 
do. When he was sixteen, he went to live with his 
older brother, Augustine, in order that he might 
attend a better school. His association with his 
older brother, who had been trained in England, 
was a great help to him. 

He early showed a taste for surveying, or the 
measuring of land. This was fascinating work for 
a boy who loved to live in the open air. Although 
his father had left to each of his children what 
now seems a large tract of land, yet, in those early 
days, it yielded only a moderate income. Virginia 
then lay at the edge of a great wilderness, and the 
land-owners scarcely knew where their property 
extended. The measuring of this land promised 
a profitable business, for the owners were anxious 
to know where to place their fences. Lord 
Fairfax, a wealthy Englishman and an extensive 
land-owner, who was acquainted with the young 
Virginian, offered him employment in helping sur- 
vey his estate. Thus, opportunity came to the 
youthful Washington, as it will come to every boy 
who is prepared to grasp it, not because of any 
special fitness but because he had shown himself 
painstaking and really in earnest about the studies 
which he had in hand. 

The climbing of mountains, wading of swamps, 
fording of rivers, sleeping on the half-frozen 
ground, and plunging through thickets and under- 
brush in drenching rains, made no pleasure-trip, 



136 History of the United States 

but so thoroughly did young Washington do his 
part of the work, that, when he handed his report to 
Lord Fairfax, liis success as a surveyor was as- 
sured . Tlie wealthy Englishman was so well pleased 
mth his work that the next year he helped him 
secure a license as a surveyor. For three years, 
Washington followed surveying as a business, and 
it is said that no error was ever found in his work 
and that some of his surveys are still authority for 
a part of the boundaries of Virginia. 

During his life as a surveyor, Washington 
learned much about the life of the frontier settlers 
and of the character and habits of the Indians. He 
became so familiar with the country, that he could 
find his way through trackless forests. He learned 
to interpret the things about him and use them to 
help him in his work. These may seem unim- 
j^ortant in the life of a young man who is some day 
to be a leader of men, but these were the things by 
which he wrought success where others met with 
failure. 

The trouble between the English and the French 
continued to grow. Each country tried to gain the 
friendship of the Indians. The English sent to 
England for goods that would please the Indians. 
The French, also, tried to win them to their side 
and many of the tribes toward the north united 
with the French. The Indians living in the dis- 
puted territory found leaden plates which the 
French had either nailed to trees or buried in the 



Growth and Dkvklopment 137 

ground. On these plates, it was written, that all 
this territory on both sides of the rivers to their 
sources belonged to France. The Indians gazed in 
amazement at these strange plates, but at last they 
solved their meaning. Thev said, ^^They mean to 
steal our country from us," and they decided to 
join the English. It was fortunate for the English 
that they so decided, for they could greatly 
assist them in spying out the enemy and in acting 
as guides through the forest. A messenger from 
the Miami tribe assured the governor of Pennsyl- 
vania that their friendship for the English ^Svould 
last while the sun and moon ran round the world," 
and gave him three strings of wampum. 

The English wisely made their settlements south 
of the Ohio river and east of the land claimed by 
the Indians. This gave them 
opportunity to trade with them 
and obtain the rich furs which 
both the French and the En- 
glish so much desired. The 
French were not so considerate 
and built their forts within the 
territory claimed by the In- 
dians. The old Half-King of 
the western tribes once went the half-king 
to the French fort on Lake Erie and complained to 
them, saying : ' ' Fathers, you are disturbers in this 
land by building towns. We kindled a fire a long 




138 History of the United States 

time ago at Montreal, where we desired yon to stay. 
I now advise yon to retnrn to that place, for this 
land is onrs." The French commander replied to 
him : ^ ' I tell yon that down that river I will go, 
and bnild nj)on it. My force is as the sand npon 
the seashore. Therefore here is yonr wampnm; I 
fling it at yon." The old man, disappointed and 
injured at the defiant manner and threats of the 
Frenchman, returned to the English for protection. 
News of what the French were doing, finally 
reached Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia. He at 
once decided to send a messenger to the French 
commander, demanding an explanation. He wanted 
a man who was strong and brave, one who under- 
stood the red men and could cope with the white 
men. He found these requirements in the youth- 
ful George Washington, and, although he was only 
twenty-one years of age, he selected him for this 
important mission. Washington had but little 
military training, but he understood that the first 
duty of a good soldier was obedience, and he im- 
mediately began preparations for his dangerous 
journey. On the last day of October, 1753, he 
started for the French fort on Lake Erie. He was 
attended by four experienced woodsmen, an inter- 
preter, and Christopher Gist, one of the best guides 
in Virginia. To-day, when we can flash a message 
across the country by wire and can travel with such 
speed in beautifully upholstered cars, we can not 



Growth and Dkve:lopment 139 

understand the courage of a voung man who would 
undertake to go to the camp of an enemy through 
a trackless forest filled with lurking Indians. Our 
hero was undaunted, he reached the Youghiogheny 
river, and, dividing his party, two men went down 
the river in a canoe to where Pittsburg now stands, 
while the rest of the party took the horses by a 
roundabout trail which kept away from the rivers. 
When they met at the place where the rivers imite 
to form the Ohio, they were still far from the 
French fort. A runner was sent to tell the Indians 
that the English were their friends and to invite 
the chiefs to a council. When they assembled, 
Washington told them that he would protect them 
from the French and asked that they would help 
him to reach the French. They exchanged gifts 
with each other, and, after many ceremonies, he con- 
tinued his march. He was accompanied by the 
Half- King and two other chiefs. At last, they ar- 
rived at the French fort and Washington was re- 
ceived with true French politeness by the command- 
er, St. Pierre. On receiving the letter, the com- 
mander and his officers retired to a private apart- 
ment to translate Governor Dinwiddle's message 
into the French language. It was two days before 
St. Pierre delivered to Washington his sealed re- 
ply. Those had not been idle hours for Major 
Washington, as the governor had called him in the 
letter, for he had carefully noted the plan and 



140 History o^ the Unitkd Statks 

strength of the fort and had made a record of the 
number of canoes which they either had in readi- 
ness or which were in process of construction, to 
carry their troops down the river as soon as spring 
came. 

It was with difficulty that Washington per- 
suaded his Indian companions to return with him. 
The French used every device to break their 
friendship with the English. They feasted them 
and gave themi gifts, but Washington's shrewd- 
ness finally prevailed and he set out with his little 
company. They found the river full of floating 
ice. Their frail canoes were in danger of being 
driven onto rocks. At Fort Venango, Washington 
left the river to go by land. It was Christmas day 
and they had a long journey before them. Wash- 
ington saw the uselessness of trying to urge the 
horses through the deep snow, so he dismounted, 
dressed himself in an Indian hunting suit, strapped 
his pack of provisions and valuable papers to his 
back, and, taking his gun in hand, he and his trusted 
guide. Gist, started on foot. They had not gone 
far when they met some Indians who appeared 
friendly. After consulting together, they decided 
to hire one of them to act as a guide. He gladly 
accepted and took Washington's pack upon his 
back. After they had gone eight or ten miles, they 
became distrustful of him, fearing that he intended 
to lead them into an ambush. Thev watched him 



Growth and De:vi:lopme:nt 141 

closely and just as they were coming out of a thick 
tangle of woods into an open meadow, the Indian 
Avho was about fifteen steps ahead, quickly turned 
and fired at them. He then hid behind a large oak 
tree and was preparing to reload his gun when they 
seized him. Washington would not allow his com- 
panion to harm the Indian. They sent him to his 
home which he said was not far away. Gist fol- 
loAved him a short way and listened until he could 
hear, no longer, the sound of his footsteps on the 
snow. They built a fire, by whose light they set 
their compass and traveled as fast as they could 
all that night and the next day, until late in the 
evening, when they reached the Alleghany river. 
Washington had expected to find the river frozen 
over, but instead he found great blocks of ice float- 
ing in it. With one poor hatchet they began to 
make a raft. They worked all the next day, but 
it was growing dark before it was completed. Fear- 
ful lest Indians had followed their trail, they de- 
termined to attempt to cross. Their raft was 
caught by the ice and Washington, in trying to 
keep the ice from Avrecking their raft, was hurled 
into the water and only saved himself by clinging 
to one of the logs of the raft. They made their 
way to a small island where they spent the night. 
The next morning the river was frozen so that the^^ 
could cross on the ice, and before night they were 
in the comfortable quarters of an Indian trader. 



142 History op* the: United Statks 

They pressed forward and were able on the six- 
teenth of January to deliver the reply to Governor 
Dinwiddle. Thus was completed the first public 
service of Washington, but it was not to be his last, 
for within three months he was promoted to a lieu- 
tenant-colonel. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why was this a critical time for the English? 
Write a story about the boyhood of Washington. 
What sports did he like? 
Who was Christopher Gist? 

Why was Washington chosen to carry the message to the 
French general? 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Heroes Every Child Should Know. — (Mabie.) 
George Washington. — (Scudder.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

George Washington was accurate with his work. He was 
honest and truthful. At twenty-one years of age, the gov- 
ernor of his colony sent him with an important message. 



Growth and Dkvelopment 143 



ENGLISH MATCH ARMS WITH FRENCH 
AND INDIANS 

A Training School for Colonial Soldiers 

The reply of the French commander was such 
as might be expected. He stated that he was there 
by order of his general, and that he did not intend 
to listen to the request of the English to leave the 
territory. Nothing remained but to settle the ques- 
tion by might of arms. Goyernor Dinwiddle ap- 
pealed to the governors of other colonies for help, 
but the idea of the colonies helping each other was 
not well received. They had, as yet, not understood 
the meaning of strength in unity. 

Wasliington was sent to build a fort at the forks 
of the Ohio river. He had previously mentioned 
this location in his report to the governor. He was 
also told to drive away anyone who attempted to 
disturb the English settlers in that part of the 
country. After great exertion, they came to an 
open space in the western part of Pennsylvania 
called ^^ Great Meadows." They learned that the 
French were on their way to meet them. A fort 
was quickly formed which they named Ft. Neces- 
sity. Washington decided to surprise the French. 
A faithful Indian led him and his men to a low 
bottom where the French lay encamped. As soon 
as the French caught sight of them, they rushed 



144 History of the United States 

for their arms. Washington gave the command, 
^^Fire," and the first shots of the great French 
and Indian war brought death to the French leader 
and ten of his party. 

Although this first attack had put to rout the 
French, yet Washington understood that his little 
band of four hundred men could not withstand the 
great army which the French had gathered to- 
gether. He withdrew as quickly as possible to Ft. 
Necessity. The French followed him and placed 
their soldiers on elevated ground and in trees so 
that they could fire down upon the English within 
the fort. For nine hours in a drenching rain, they 
kept up an unceasing stream of balls upon the men 
within the fort. At last the French commander 
suggested that they cease firing until Washington 
could send one of his officers to receive the terms of 
surrender. They were written in French and as 
no writing materials were at hand they were trans- 
lated orally. A candle was brought and held close 
to the paper but the rain fell in such torrents that 
it was difficult to keep the flickering light from 
being put out. Washington realized that his men 
could not hold out much longer and with a few 
changes, he accepted the terms of an honorable sur- 
render. On the fourth day of July, a day after- 
wards memorable of a great victory, Washington 
and his men marched out of the fort, carrying 
their colors, and withdrew from the country. 



Growth and Development 145 

The English now realized that if they were to 
hold the land west of the Alleghany mountains, 
they must have more than a handful of soldiers 
on the frontier. It was decided to send at once 
soldiers from England and enlist as many men 
from the colonies as possible. General Edward 
Braddock was placed in command. He was a 
brave man, but he knew nothing about Indian war- 
fare. He was too proud to listen to the advice of 
Washington when he suggested that the Virginia 
rangers, who were familiar with the country and 
used to the Indian manner of fighting, might be 
placed in the lead. They were then marching to 
attack the French at Fort Duquesne. The French 
and Indians were hidden on either side, behind 
trees and rocks. The British regulars had marched 
into their trap and were thrown into confusion. 
The Indian war whoop was more terrifying to 
them than the whizzing of bullets, but not nearly 
so deadly. Braddock would not give up his plan 
of forming his men in military style and they were 
quickly mown down by the bullets from behind 
the trees. Washington did all he could to carry 
out his general 's plans. Two horses were that day 
shot from under him and four bullets passed 
through his clothes. In his enthusiasm, he leajjed 
from his horse and himself w^heeled and fired one 
of the cannons but it was a hopeless engagement. 
Braddock, himself, was mortally wounded. Wash- 



146 



History of the United States 



ington gathered together all that remained of the 
Virginia rangers and covered the retreat of the 
defeated army. 

For two years the French gained the victories 
until it seemed that the French and not the English 
was to be the language of the new world. At last 
a change came in the management of the Englisli 
government and William Pitt began to dictate the 
policies of the war, for war it now was to the bitter 
end. One fort after another was wrested from 
the French until the entire Ohio valley was in the 
possession of the English. 

The British regulars, now that they had driven 
the French from the contested territory, deter- 
mined to compel them to 
give up all of their terri- 
tory in America. They 
took several of the strong- 
holds along the Canadian 
border and at last decided 
to get possession of Que- 
bec, the citadel of Canada. 
Wolfe, the English com- 
mander, succeeded in tak- 
ing his army several miles 
up the St. Lawrence river 
without the French know- 
ing it. He had discovered a path leading up the 
steep cliif s to the Plains of Abraham at the rear of 




GENERAL WOLFE 



I 



Growth and Dkvklopment 147 

Quebec. At the dead of ni'glit, his flat-bottomed 
boats silently floated down with the current. 

As they came near the fort, one of the sentinels 
cried out, ^^Who goes there?'' A captain in the 
first boat who understood the French language an- 
swered, ^^The French," and the boats glided on 
without further questions. They came to a place 
which is now called Wolfe's Cove. General Wolfe 
was one of the first to climb the steep and narrow 
path. His soldiers followed him, helping them- 
selves by holding to the roots and branches. At 
break of day his soldiers were in military array 
on the Plains of Abraham. The French command- 
er, Montcalm, was amazed when he learned that 
the English were ready to attack Quebec at its 
weakest side. 

The battle was begun without delay. Both the 
English and the French commanders met death on 
that eventful day. General Wolfe, who had so gal- 
lantly led his soldiers had been twice w^ounded 
when at the moment of success the third ball struck 
him and he sank to the earth. An attendant lean- 
ing over him said, ^^They run." ^'Who runs?" 
questioned Wolfe, as if roused from sleep. ^'The 
French, sir, they give way everywhere." ^^Now, 
I will die in peace," said the expiring man. 

Montcalm, Avhile trying to rally his regiments, 
was also struck with a ball and fell to mingle his 
life 's blood with that of General Wolfe. When told 



148 History of the: United States 

by his physician tliat he could live only a few hours, 
he replied, ^^So much the better, I shall not live 
to see the surrender of Quebec." 

Five days after the battle, the English took pos- 
session of Quebec. This virtually ended the war 
and New France passed away but it was not until 
1763 that, by a treaty of peace signed at Paris, 
France gave to England all of her possessions east 
of the Mississippi, except the island where New 
Orleans now stands. To Spain she transferred all 
of her territory west of the '' Father of Waters." 
As the French minister signed the treaty that for- 
ever shut France out of North America, he said: 
^SSo we are gone; it will be England's turn next." 

SUGGESTIONS 

Name the things which showed Washington's wisdom. 
Who was General Wolfe? 
Tell how Quebec was captured. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The French and Indian war trained the colonial men for 
service in the revolution. 



REVOLUTION 

THE GROWTH OF INDEPENDENCE 

"We day by day by trifles learn, 
To do life's greater deeds." 

— Bingham. 

Just as boys and girls do not remember exactly 
when they put away the toys of their babyhood and 
as men and women cannot tell just when they ceased 
to look to their parents for guidance, so in some 
such way the thirteen colonies outgrew their de- 
pendence upon the mother country. 

The great distance from England and the old 
method of communication had forced the colonists 
to think and act for themselves. The bond of sym- 
pathy between the mother country and the colonists 
was not as strong as it should have been but many 
people of England did not understand how much 
the colonists had endured to secure their religious 
freedom and to establish homes in America. In 
England, discussions were held in parliament, their 
law-making body, about the colonies in America. 
The great question was whether the mother 
country could imj^ose taxes on the American colo- 
nists. It was believed that although they were not 



150 History of the United States 

allowed to have a representative in the English 
government yet they should bear a part of the 
expense of maintaining the government. The peo- 
ple in America thought that taxation without rep- 
resentation was unjust. 

What were the colonists to do I Already Eng- 
land had said that they could not ship anything 
except to English markets and everything that they 
needed must be bought in England. They were not 
allowed to buy from any foreign country. What- 
ever they might need that England could not pro- 
duce must first be sent to England and then be 
resent to the colonies. England claimed the right to 
control everything. Even the trees in the forest were 
inspected and those which would make timber suit- 
able for ships were marked and anyone who cut 
one of these trees was punished. 

The mother countr}^ did not want her subjects to 
manufacture anything. They could cultivate the 
soil but to make anything useful was forbidden. 
Some of the colonists began to make woolen goods 
but they were checked by not being allowed to send 
their goods to any other colony, neither could they 
send them to England or to any other country. 
Hats and caps were not allowed to be made because 
there were so many beaver and fur bearing animals 
in America that they thought the colonies would 
soon be able to supply all England with hats and 
eaps. In Pennsylvania the people were anxious to 



Rkvolution 151 

do something with tlieir iron ore of which they had 
such abundance, but no, they must either leave it 
in the ground or send it to England to be made into 
articles of use and then the manufactured articles 
could be sold to the colonists. Twenty-five years 
before the colonists declared their rights, England 
said that all of the iron works in the colonies must 
be closed, and that any, that might afterwards be 
opened, should be destroyed as ' ' nuisances. ' ' 

In New England, where the soil was less produc- 
tive, the people were compelled to depend upon 
their fisheries and their manufactured goods. Here 
it was that England kept a careful watch that her 
laws were obeyed and here it was that the first out- 
break of the great revolution took place. 

SUGGESTIONS 

How did England check the development of the colonies? 

Why did she want to do this? 

Why did England want to tax the colonists? 

SOMETHING TO READ 
American History Stories, \o\. 2. — (Pratt.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The colonists claimed that taxation without representation 
was unjust. 



152 



History of thk United States 



THE STAMP ACT 
The Cause of the First Colonial Assembly 

When England could not get the colonists to pay 
the proposed taxes in any other way, she planned, 
^^The Stamp Act,'' to force them to do something 
that they would not willingly do. Fifty-four dif- 
ferent kinds of stamps were made 
in England and these were put on 
all kinds of paper which the col- 
onists wanted to use. They were 
to be used on their newspapers, 
their notes, their mortgages and 
almost every kind of legal paper. 
The colonists said that it was un- 
just to ask them to pay taxes and 
at the same time to give them no 
voice in their government. It was principle for 
which they contended and it is principle for which 
men everywhere will give even their lives. 

In August, 1765, packages of stamped paper 
were sent from England and the names of the men, 
who were to sell the stam23s, were published. The 
day on which the act was to go into effect was one 
of great excitement. In Philadelphia and Boston, 
bells rang a funeral peal and the people called it 
the death knell of their liberty. In New York the 




SHILLING STAMP 




Re:volution 153 

people marched in a procession and carried a 

banner on which was a copy of the Stamp Act and 

the words ^^The folly of England and the ruin of 

America." There was an old elm tree in Boston 

which stood at the corner of Essex 

street. Early in the morning two 

figures were seen hanging from the 

branches of the lower limbs. These 

had been put there by the ^^Sons 

of Liberty/' a society solemnly stamp 

pledged to oppose the enforcement 

of the disagreeable law. These effigies were dressed 

to represent real men. One was meant to be Andrew 

Oliver, a gentleman belonging to one of the most 

respected families in Massachusetts, who had been 

appointed by the king as a stamp officer ; the other 

represented the earl of Bute, who, it was believed, 

had advised the king to tax America. 

In the evening the Sons of Liberty cut down these 
effigies and a large but orderly crowd followed a 
bier bearing the figures. As the motley throng 
marched through the streets, they shouted, ^'Lib- 
erty, Property, and no Stamps. '^ They stopped 
before the state-house, where the governor and offi- 
cers of the king were in session, and then marched 
directly to the house which Oliver had intended for 
his stamp office. They tore it down and kindling 
a bonfire, they burned the effigies. ^' Death to the 
man who offers stamped paper to sell!'' they cried. 



154 History of the United States 

The English officer ordered his militia colonel to 
beat an alarm, but he re23lied, ^^My drummers are 
in the mob.'' When he tried to disperse the crowd 
they forced him to run the gauntlet after the Indian 
fashion and actually gave him several raps as he 
I'an. Oliver, the stamp officer, promptly resigned 
his office. 

One after another of the colonies refused to 
accept the Stamp Act until every stamp officer was 
forced to resign. The stamped paper which had 
been brought over was either destroyed or put away 
out of sight. For a time all business requiring 
stamps was at a stand-still. Up to this time, men 
from each colony had never met together in an 
assembly of any kind. The legislature of Massa- 
chusetts sent a circular letter to each of the colonies, 
asking them to a general congress to provide a way 
to resist the Stamp Act. The governors of a few 
of the colonies adjourned the legislatures before 
they could elect their delegates. When they 
assembled in the city hall at New York it was found 
that nine of the colonies were represented. 

They prepared a petition to King George III, 
asking that the unjust Stamp Act might be repealed 
and that they might be given the rights and liber- 
ties of the subjects of Great Britain. When the 
appeal was read before the English parliament, a 
stormy debate followed. William Pitt, who was 
a member of parliament, had kept himself 



Re:volution 



155 



informed about the colonists. He realized how 
much they prized their liberty, their property, and 
their rights as citizens. At that time he was an 
old man and in feeble health, but his speeches 
before parliament did much to help the struggling 
colonists. He claimed that England had no riglit 
to lay a tax on the colonies. He said that they 
were entitled to all the natural rights of mankind 
and the peculiar privileges 
of Englishmen. England 
finally decided to tell the 
colonists that she would re- 
peal the Stamp Act but 
that she would retain the 
right to make laws that 
would be binding on the 
colonies ^ ^ in all cases what- 
soever. ' ' 

When news came that 
the Stamp Act had been 
repealed, there was great 
rejoicing in America. 
Bonfires were lighted, joy-bells were rung and the 
various legislatures sent messages of thanks to the 
king. Everybody was in a happy mood, the quarrel 
was ended. Little attention was given to the right, 
which England retained, to make laws for the 
colonies, but which was the source of future 
troubles. 




WILLIAM PITT 



156 History o^ the United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

What was the Stamp Act? 

Collect pictures of those stamps. 

Name the ways by which the people showed their disHke 
of the Stamp Act. 

Difficult words : principle, contend, bier, militia, appropriate, 
petition. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
American History Stories, Vol. 2. — (Pratt.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The colonists sent a petition to the king of England asking 
that the Stamp Act might be repealed. England did repeal 
the Stamp Act, but she reserved the right to make laws for 
the colonies. She reserved the right to tax them in other 
ways. 



tovOLUTlON 157 



BOSTON THE CENTER OF ACTIVITIES 
Boston Tea Party, December, ///j 

While the colonists were busy with their work 
and happy in the thought that they would always 
be treated just as the people in England were 
treated, the English parliament planned how 
they could lay a tax upon the colonists to which 
they would not object. They decided that they 
could place a tax on the things which they knew 
the colonists would want to buy, such as glass, 
paper, white lead, painter's colors, and tea. They 
were careful to include the tea for they knew that 
the people of America were fond of tea, therefore, 
they said that the Americans should pay the king, 
as a special tax or duty, six cents for every pound of 
tea which they bought. 

As soon as the colonists heard of the new law 
they were filled with indignation. Their newspapers, 
of which there were then twenty-five, urged the 
people to stand for their rights. England thought 
it best to be prepared to enforce this law so she 
ordered two regiments of troops to be sent from 
Halifax to Boston, for she said, ^^If any province 
is to be chastised it is Boston. ' ' The people refused 
to give the soldiers either food or lodging and Gen- 
eral Gage was compelled to make his camp on the 
Boston Common. Some of the soldiers were taken 



158 History op the: United State:s 

to Faiieuil hall. When the weather became too 
cold for outdoor camping some of their soldiers 
escaped and went into the country and the English 
officer was compelled to rent houses for those who 
remained loyal. Boston was under military rule 
but there was nothing for the soldiers to do. The 
peace-loving people of Massachusetts did not enjoy 
having soldiers stationed among them, but they 
were determined that they would not be the first to 
stir up trouble. 

The people quietly but persistently refused to 
buy English goods. A society called the ^^Daugh- 
ters of Liberty, ' ' was organized. One day thirty or 
forty young ladies took their spinning wheels to 
the minister's home and spun two hundred and 
thirty-two skeins of yarn. It was no uncommon 
thing to see wealthy and influential men dressed in 
cloth that had been made at home. At the after- 
noon teas, the ladies no longer used the imported 
tea, but the dried leaves of the raspberry. 

All England seemed to be watching Boston, but 
there was still no reason to attack it. The soldiers 
were a constant menace to the people. One wintry 
evening a crowd gathered where the soldiers were 
stationed. It was a noisy, boisterous crowd, but no 
one was armed. There had been quarrels and 
brawds on the streets. One bo}^ had been struck 
on the head ; several times guns had been leveled ; 
soldiers had said that they would fire. 



Revolution 159 

Removed as we are over two lumdrecl and forty 
years from the scene of that terrible night, we can 
scarcely imagine the taunts and jeers that were 
heard on either" side. ' ' Fire if you dare ' M '^ You 
dare not fire " ! At last some one struck a soldier 's 
gun. He leveled it and fired. One after another 
the soldiers fired until when the smoke cleared 
away eleven New Englanders lay stretched upon 
the newly fallen snow, some wounded, others dead 
or dying. The first blood of the revolution had 
been shed. 

When the news of what had happened reached 
England, they decided to do away with all of the 
taxes except the tax on tea. ^^ Surely," they said, 
' ' No one would object to paying a small tax on tea. ' ^ 
In order to make it acceptable to the colonists, they 
had reduced the price of tea so that even with the 
tax it was cheaper in America than it was in En- 
gland. It was not the money w^hich annoyed the 
colonists, but it was a principle for which they w^ere 
contending. They said the right to take a pound 
implied the right to take ten pounds. 

The other colonies sympathized with Massachu- 
setts and were Avilling to help lier in any way that 
they could. Words of cheer came from the other 
colonies. The .men in Philadelphia wrote to the 
men in Boston that, ^^Our only fear is lest you may 
shrink. May God give you virtue enough to save 
the liberties of our countrv." Had thev known 



160 



History of the: Unite:d Stati:s 



their neighbors better they would not have feared 
the outcome. 

The English vessel, Dartmouth, laden with 
tea for the American colonists, came into the harbor 
at Boston. A mass meeting was called at Faneuil 
hall, but the old Cradle of Liberty could not hold 
the people who gathered. The meeting was 

adjourned to the Old 
South meeting house. 
It was voted without 
a single objection that 
the tea should be re- 
turned to England in 
the ship which had 
brought it. A night 
watch of twenty-five 
men was set to 
guard the vessel. 
After two or three 
days other ships ar- 
rived but they also 
were told that they 
could not land. The 
custom house officers 
would not give the vessels a return pass and they 
dared not leave the harbor without a pass. 

, The next day there was another mass meeting 
and it was again voted that the vessels could not 
unload. What was to be done^ This was a most 




OLD SOUTH CHURCH 



Re:volution 



161 



critical moment. It had grown dark and the old 
church was dimly lighted with flickering candles. 
Messengers had been sent to the governor, who 
had intentionally retired to his country home sev- 
eral miles away. At last they returned to answer 
that the governor had refused to give a pass for 
the vessels. Samuel Adams, who has been called 
''The Father of the Revo- 
lution,'' arose and quietly 
announced, ''This meeting 
can do nothing more to 
save the country.'' 

Scarcely had he finished 
speaking than a war-whoop 
was given outside the door 
and fifty men dressed as 
Mohawk Indians filed 
dovm to the landing. The 
c r w d gathered at the 
wharf and noiselessly, almost breathlessly, lis- 
tened to the click, click of the hammers while the 
tea in three hundred and forty-two chests mingled 
with the briny water. 

At Charleston the tea would not be received and 
it was stored in a cellar and was afterward sold for 
the benefit of the revolutionary cause. In Phila- 
delphia, five thousand men had arranged to have 
the ship immediately returned to England. 




SAMUEL ADAMS 



162 History of the United States 

When Great Britain, for now the colonists were 
beginning to feel coldly toward the mother country 
and were using a more formal style of address, 
learned what had been done, she was angry 
and determined to have revenge. She ordered 
Boston harbor closed so that no goods or supplies 
of any kind could either be received or sent away. 
Then she demanded that the charter of Massachu- 
setts should be taken away. 

These acts affected all the colonies, for they 
claimed that if Great Britain had the right to close 
a harbor and take away the charter from one colony 
she could do the same to all of the colonies. They 
rallied to the help of Massachusetts. The southern 
colonies sent rice, New York sent bread-stuffs, 
while all of the colonies sent of their plenty and 
forgot not their messages of good cheer. 

In September, 1774, the First Continental Con- 
gress met in Philadelphia. This time there were 
eleven colonies represented. They sent a petition to 
the king and a resolution was adopted that they 
would not carry on any trade with Great Britain. 
When the English parliament received this peti- 
tion, it appointed General Gage to subdue the colo- 
nists and sent him a fleet and ten thousand soldiers 
to help him carry out his orders. 



REVOLUTION 163 

SUGGESTIONS 

Give a word picture of the Boston Tea Party. 
What is a custom house? 
Who was Samuel Adams? 

Why did the other colonies help ^Massachusetts? 
Difficult words : indignation, menace, boisterous, implied, 
wharf, subdue. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
The Boston Tea Party. — {Irring.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774. 
They resolved to carry on no trade with Great Britain. Gen- 
eral Gage was sent to subdue the colonists. 



164 



History of the; Uniti:d States 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

An American Statesman 

At the time of the Boston Tea Party, our famous 
American, Benjamin Franklin, was sixty-seven 
years of age. He had advised and counseled during 
the French and Indian war and had watched the 

progress toward revolu- 




tion. Perhaps his great- 
est service to his country 
was to be given during 
the seventeen remaining 
years of his life. 

The life of any truly 
great man is based up- 
on a -boyhood which was 
as great in its boyhood 
way as was the life of 
this man whom all the 
world called great. This 
was true of Franldin, 
for in his early life he gave signs of leadership and 
of thoughtfulness. He was the youngest son of 
a family of seventeen children. He was born in 
Boston, January 17th, 1706, almost, as you see, at 
the beginning of the eighteenth century, that cen- 
tury which was noted for progress and activity. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 



REVOLUTION 165 

This little boy seems to have been a bundle of en- 
ergy, at least we must think so when we learn of 
the many things which he did. 

His father was a candle maker, a business which 
would not yield much of an income to-day, but which 
was in those days sufficient to take care of a large 
family of boys and girls. His brothers were sent 
to school until they were ten years of age, then 
they were bound as apprentices to learn trades. His 
father intended to give Benjamin, as a tithe of his 
sons, to the service of the church. He early gave 
promise of being a good scholar, for when he was 
seven years of age he used to write letters in rhyme 
to hisuncle Benjamin who lived in London. Whenhe 
was eight years of age he was in a grammar school. 
He stood at the head of his class and was promoted 
to higher classes twice within the same year. He 
was then placed in a school to learn writing and 
arithmetic. The first he learned easily, but he failed 
utterly in his arithmetic. Later in life he set him- 
self the task of mastering the science of numbers. 
He studied algebra, geometry, trigonometry and 
learned to be accurate in the work, but he never so 
thoroughly enjoyed it as he did the science of 
language. 

When he was ten years of age his father realized 
how impossible it was to give him a college educa- 
tion, so he took Benjamin out of school to help 
him make candles. The bov soon became tired of 



166 History of thk United States 

cutting wicks and melting tallow. He heard the 
call of the sea but his father, who already had one 
boy at sea, could not consent that his son Benjamin 
become a sailor. He used to take long walks with 
him, visiting the bricklayers, the carpenters, and 
people of other kinds of trade, thinking he might 
learn what most interested his son. Finally he 
decided that he would have him learn the trade 
of a cutler or a maker of knives or other cutting 
tools. In those days^ when a boy wanted to learn 
a certain trade, it was necessary for the boy's 
parents to pay a fee for the privilege of learning 
how to do the work. The cutler's fee was one hun- 
dred dollars and that seemed a sum entirely too 
large for his father to raise. 

His older brother, James, was a printer and it 
was at last decided to bind Benjamin as an appren- 
tice to his brother. This plan did not altogether 
please the young Franklin, but he finally consented 
and at the age of twelve he signed the papers which 
bound him to his brother until he became twenty- 
one years of age. He was to receive no pay for his 
work until the last year. The plan worked well 
for a time. Franklin applied himself to his work 
and became a great help to his brother. He now 
had plenty of good books to read, because a gentle- 
man, who had learned to know him at the printing 
house, invited him to his library and kindly loaned 
him books. His brother, too, had dealings with 



Rkvolution 167 

the book sellers and they learned to know the 
younger brother so well that they would allow him 
to take books from the book store. He gave us the 
couplet ; 

''Early to bed and early to rise, 
Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." 

But he did not always follow this teaching, for he 
used to sit up very late sometimes to finish a good 
book. He was fond of rhyming. It was popular 
in those days to make ballads about whatever was 
happening. Franklin used to write in this style 
and then his brother would print his verses and 
send him out on the street to sell them. They found 
a ready sale and encouraged the young boy, but his 
father, who was always his wise adviser, objected 
to what he was doing. He told him it would be far 
better for him to master his trade than become a 
poor poet. He listened to the wise counsel of his 
father and worked even harder to master his trade. 
His brother did not encourage him as one might 
expect, but was fault-finding and sometimes even 
cruel to his younger brother, for already he was 
jealous of Benjamin's increasing popularity. Our 
young friend did not need much encouragement for 
he was determined to learn to write well. He used 
to read Addison's Spectator and liked the book so 
well that he would read it over and over and then 
after two or three days he would re-write in his 
own language what he could remember. He then 



168 History oi^ rut Unite:d State:s 

would compare Ms Spectator with the author's. 
This would seem hard work for some boys and girls 
but Franklin enjoyed it and by thus practicing he 
became an easy writer. 

His brother started a newspaper in 1721 which 
he called the New England Courant. There was 
already one other paper in America, and his friends 
told him they did not believe that the Courant could 
succeed, for one newspaper was enough for 
America. Benjamin was a busy boy helping his 
brother with the Courant. He was office boy, 
printer, pressman, and newsboy all combined. It 
was not long until he thought he would write some- 
thing for the paper, so he wrote a ^ Apiece" and 
signed it ^^Mrs. Silence Dogood.'' He did not dare 
let his brother know that he had written it, so he 
disguised his handwriting as best he could. When 
he had finished it he put it in an envelope and late 
one evening he slipped it under the door of the 
printing house and ran away as quickly as possible. 

Next morning as he stood at the case setting type 
he heard his brother read it to some friends. It 
gave the fun-loving boy great pleasure to listen to 
their comments and to hear them name some of the 
smartest men in Boston as the most likely author. 

Benjamin kept his secret until several of the 
articles had been published, then he confessed that 
he had written them. The pleasure which came 
from the kindly words of his brother's friends was 



Revolution 169 

spoiled by the way in which his brother acted. He 
thought that so much praise would tend to make 
the younger brother vain. The little misunder- 
standings between the two brothers increased to 
open quarrels. Their father tried to settle their 
disputes but James, the older brother, always 
claimed that his father favored Benjamin. 

At last Benjamin decided that he could no longer 
endure his brother's harsh and tyrannical treat- 
ment. He himself declared that this was one of 
the reasons why he never could believe that too 
much authority should be given to one person. He 
went to his brother and told him that he could not 
work for him any more. His brother became very 
angry and said that if he would not work for him 
that he should not work for any other printer in 
Boston. True enough, when Benjamin went to find 
work he found that his brother had already been 
there and had asked that they would not give him 
anything to do. 

There were only two other places then where he 
would be likely to find work. These were New York 
and Philadelphia. He determined to try New York, 
so he sold some of his books for a little money and 
arranged with the captain of a sloop to take him to 
New York. In three days this boy of seventeen 
was in a strange city three hundred miles from 
home. No one needed his services so he decided to 
go on to Philadelphia. All day he trudged through 



170 History of the: United States 

a heavy rain and that night he stopped at a miser- 
able inn, a discouraged and homesick boy. He con- 
tinued his journey until he came to the river. Late 
in the evening a boat was passing which he learned 
was going to Philadelphia. They took him in and 
as there was no wind the men took turns at rowing. 
About midnight some of the party thought that 
they had passed the city so they decided to land. 
It was a cold night in October and as they had 
landed near an old fence, they made a fire with the 
rails and waited until morning. Early the next 
morning one of the party recognized that they were 
a little above Philadelphia at which town they 
landed about nine o'clock Sunday morning. This 
was Franklin's introduction to the City of Broth- 
erly Love, but it was not his last experience. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Give reasons why we honor the name of Franklin. 

When did the eighteenth century begin? 

Write a story of FrankHn's boyhood. 

Difficult words : tithe, ballad, tyranny, sloop, inn. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Franklin's Autobiography. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

''Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while 
the used key is always bright.'' — Franklin, 



Evolution 171 



FRANKLIN IN PHILADELPHIA 
TJie Printer Boy Becomes a Man of Influence 

So closely have the words Franklin and Phila- 
delphia been associated that we have quite for- 
gotten that Boston claimed him as a youth. Yet 
the warm feeling of kinship for Massachusetts was 
ever with him. 

To have seen Franklin on the morning of his 
arrival, it would have taken a man of unusual fore- 
sight to have even dreamed that the unkempt, 
untailored and plain looking boy would one day 
stand before kings. The unfolding of his life was 
no strange fairy story but a simple illustration 
of what any boy or girl may do who really uses the 
talents that he has. 

He cheerfully paid the manager of the boat for 
his passage although he had helped him with the 
rowing, then he went up the street to And something 
to eat. He asked for biscuit, such as he was used to 
in Boston, but they did not have them for sale. 
Then he asked for a three-penny worth of bread. 
The baker handed hun three great puffy rolls. He 
was surprised at the quantity but took the rolls. 
His pockets were already filled and he put one roll 
under each arm and began eating the other. As 
he returned to the wharf he passed the home of 
his future father-in-law, although the young Miss 



172 History of the: United States 

Deborah Read, as she watched the awkward look- 
ing young fellow munching his breakfast, little 
dreamed that she would one day be Mrs. Benjamin 
Franklin. 

The next day he tidied himself as best he could, 
for his chest had not yet arrived. He went to 
Andrew Bradford's, the printer. Here he met an 
old gentleman whom he had met in New York and 
who had advised him to come to Philadelphia. The 
old gentleman was visiting his son and he intro- 
duced Franklin to another printer named Keimer. 
He was pleased with Franklin's manner and 
promised him work. Franklin's success was now 
certain for what he wanted was a chance to work. 
Governor Keith soon heard of Franklin and in 
many ways showed an interest in the young man. 
He soon proposed setting him up in business and 
at last tricked him into going to London to buy the 
machinery and type necessary to start a printing 
plant. The governor proposed to furnish him the 
money with which to buy the goods and then to 
help him to keep his plant going with plenty of 
orders. All this sounded well to Franklin but when 
he reached London he found that his letters of 
credit that had been given him, were not good. 
Franklin was sorely disappointed but he sought 
and found work at his trade. Among his fellow 
workmen he was called the Water-American 
because he would not drink beer with them, but they 



REVOLUTION 



173 



were compelled to admit that he was stronger than 
they. 

For two years he remained in London. All that 
time he was storing his mind with nseful knowl- 
edge. His mind was always active. When he was 
on the ocean he studied the strength of the wind 
or watched the water-fowl, and in his walks he 
studied the flowers and the 
doings of the tiny insects. 

When he returned to 
Philadelphia he was too 
poor to start in business 
for himself, but by econ- 
omy he soon saved enough 
to become a partner in a 
printing house. He was 
twenty-two years of age 
when he became a mem- 
ber of the firm, Franklin 
and Merideth. He finally bought out his partner 
and for two years his sign read, B. Franklin, 
Printer. He studied his business and whenever he 
saw that he could improve it in any way he was 
not slow to adopt the new plan. ^^ Honesty is the 
best policy,'' was one of his maxims. The Penn- 
sylvania Gazette, which the young men had bought 
before Franklin took full charge of the business, 
was greatly improved by Franklin. This same paper 
survives to-day in the Saturday Evening Post. 




FRANKLIN'S PRESS 



174 History op^ the: United States 

In 1730 he married Deborah Read, the girl who 
was so amused at his first appearance in Pliiladel- 
phia. She was a great help to him for she was in 
sympathy with his work and was interested in all 
that he did. Two years later, the year in which 
George Washington was born, he began to print an 
almanac, which was called ^'Poor Richard's Alma- 
nac/' Besides the monthly calendar and the moon 
phases, he filled the pages with proverbial sentences 
and with wise sayings. He made it so entertaining 
and useful that he published it for twenty-five years 
selling each year almost ten thousand copies. The 
following are quoted from ^^Poor Rochard:" 

^^Well done is better than well said.'' 

^^ Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being 
unwilling to learn." 

^^A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but 
a slip of the tongue you may never get over. ' ' 

Franklin managed his business so well that in a 
few years his income was large enough to allow him 
time for the study of other things. He began the 
study of the French language and he found it so 
interesting that he afterward studied Italian, 
Spanish and Latin. He was a member of a debating 
club which was called the ^^ Junto". Here are a 
few of the questions which each member was 
required to answer : 

^^What new story have you heard agreeable for 
telling in conversation?" 



Revolution 175 

^^Do YOU think of anytliing at present in which 
the Junto mav be serviceable to mankind, to their 
country, to their friends, or to themselves?'' 

^ ^ Have you lately observed any encroachment on 
the just liberties of the peopled' 

This was really a boy's club at first but Franklin 
found it so helpful to him that he was a member 
of it for more than forty years. 

The first public office which he held was secretary 
to the general assembly of Pennsylvania, or the 
same as our state legislature. He was afterwards 
appointed postmaster-general of the American 
colonies. His work here as everywhere was 
thorough. He began our present postal system and 
for the first time in the history of the colonies he 
made the post-office bear its own expense. 

His interest in society and in people helped him 
to devise many things to better the condition of the 
people in general. He was the first to start a public 
library, which has been such a blessing to all classes 
of people. It was feared that the great fireplaces 
which peo]3le then used would burn up all the wood 
of the forests. He invented, although he refused a 
patent, a stove which w^as in use for many years. 

He became interested in the study of electricity. 
Many people at that time were interestd in it but 
they had not learned to make it useful to mankind. 
To-day, when it lights our streets and houses, helps 
us to talk to people hundreds of miles away, draws 



176 



History of thk Unite:d States 




FLYING A KITE 



our street cars and carriages, and sends our mes- 
sages around the world, we wonder how people 
lived without its help. 

Franklin was the first to discover that lightning 
and electricity were the same force. He had believed 
it for a long time, but he proved it by using a kite. 

One evening when a 
thunder cloud was 
coming up, he and his 
son William took a 
kite, the frame of 
which had been cov- 
ered with a thin 
silk handkerchief, and 
went outside the city into the open country, To 
the upper end of the kite he fastened a sharp 
pointed piece of wire and to the lower end 
he fastened a tail and a long hempen string. 
He tied a piece of silk ribbon to the end of tlie 
string and at the place where the ribbon was tied 
he fastened a door key. Franklin and his son 
stood inside the doorway of a cow-shed and awaited 
anxiously for a thunder cloud. The kite flew well 
and one cloud passed over it and another came but 
there was no electricity in either of them. Franklin 
was about to haul in the kite when he noticed the 
fibers on the string begin to rise. He touched the 
key and a spark flew. He touched it again and 
again and each time he felt the electric current. 



REVOLUTION 177 

He brought in his kite for now he had proven that 
lightning and electricity were the same. Now he 
began to show people how a lightning rod would 
save both tlieir lives and their property. The report 
of his great discoveries soon became known and 
F]*anklin was called a man of science. Both Har- 
vard and Yale colleges gave him the degree of 
Master of Arts and universities in England and 
Scotland made him a Doctor of Law. 

When the colonies needed someone to plead their 
cause before the parliament of England they sent 
Franklin to represent them. He did not want 
England and the colonies to go to war with each 
other, so he advised parliament instead of trying to 
tax the colonies to plant more colonies between the 
Mississippi river and the Allegheny mountains, in 
what was then called the Illinois country. He was 
pleading for the development of the great interior. 
They listened to his pleas but they were not put 
into effect. They did not listen to his advice, 

^^ Never put off till tomorrow what should be 
done to-day.'' 

When Franklin had been ten years in England 
pleading with the king and with parliament for the 
American colonies, he returned home. Great 
changes had come to his home. His wife had died, 
his much loved daughter had married and gone 
from his home and his only son had been made 
governor of New Jersey. 



178 



History of thk United States 



He now turned Ms energies toward helping the 
colonies. He met with them in their assemblies and 
was one of the signers of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. We can un- 
derstand how he was in- 
terested in the people of 
New England, for Bos- 
ton was still the home of 
many of his relatives 
whom he dearly loved. 

It would seem that he 
had already done enough 
to round out one life but 
at the age of seventy we 
find him a minister to 
France, the first one 
that America had ever 

DRAFTING THE DECLARATION SCUt tO that COUUtry. Hc 
OF INDEPENDENCE J^^^^^^ ^^^^ pOpukr 

with the French people. They followed him 
in the streets and cheered him as if he had 
been a great general. He was a general in one 
sense. While George Washington was leading the 
American forces on the battlefields of the revolu- 
tionary war, Franklin was leading the people of 
France to see the importance of helping the colonies 
in their struggle for independence. France had 
never forgotten that England had taken from her 
a vast empire in America, but it was a bold step 




Revoi^ution 179 

to offer aid to the struggling colonies. Franklin 
did succeed in having the colonies recognized as 
an independent country, and more than that, he 
persuaded France, although she already had a 
heavy debt, to send money to help the colonies. He 
had the honor to help prepare at Paris the treaty 
of peace between the United States and Great 
Britain. 

Franklin was now an old man and he begged to 
be relieved from all public duty, but his country 
needed him and for three successive terms he was 
elected governor of Pennsylvania. When the war 
was over he was sent as one of the delegates from 
Pennsylvania to draw up a constitution for the 
United States. He is the only man who signed all 
four of the most famous documents in our history, 
the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of 
Alliance, the Treaty of Peace, and the Constitution, 
under which we now live. 

Benjamin Franklin died at the age of eighty- 
four, but his life had been so woven into the life of 
our country that many of his influences and teach- 
ings are still with us. 

He was buried beside his wife in the old church- 
yard in Philadelphia. At his death twenty thou- 
sand people assembled to do him honor. His grave 
is marked by a simple slab in which is cut the names 
of Deborah and Benjamin Franklin. 



180 History of the: United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

What qualities in Franklin do you admire? 
Why do you think he succeeded so well? 
Give the maxims which you like best. 
Where was Franklin during the Revolution ? 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Franklin's Autobiograhy. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

' 'Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you will have corn 
to sell and to keep." — Franklin. 



Revolution 



181 



THE FIRST DAYS OF THE REVOLUTION 

The Fires of Patriotism Were Lighted 

We cannot always judge the strength of any- 
thing by its beginning. We would neyer suspect 
that a giant oak might some day deyelop from the 
tiny acorn which we hold in 
our hand. The great army 
of England surely never 
thought thafl the untrained 
men of America would eyer 
be a match for her trained 
soldiers. They were soon to 
test their strength. The peo- 
ple of Boston had grown 
fearful of an attack from 
the British soldiers and had 
carried their guns and am- 
munition to Concord, a small 
town about twenty miles 
away. The men of the towns 
and country had organized 
themselyes into a band of 
militia, and called themselyes ''Minute Men.'' 
All through the country, squads of men might 
be seen target practicing and marching to the 
music of the fife and drum. Eyery man be- 
tween the ages of sixteen and seyenty years was 




MIAUTE-M\^ 



182 History of the United States 

enrolled as a ^^ minute nian'' and was ready to seize 
Ms gun on a minute's notice. The British said that 
the ^^ minute men" were, ^^The men who'll run the 
minute they see the enemy," but their first intro- 
duction to them proved that their statement was 
untrue and that the homespun clothing of the 
minute men covered breasts as brave as those of 
the British red-coats in their broadcloth and 
epaulets. 

The British commander, General Gage, could 
not endure to see ammunition and supplies col- 
lected for the use of the colonists, so he decided to 
send eight hundred soldiers to destroy the supplies 
which the colonists had stored at Concord. These 
brave patriots, who were ever on the lookout, 
learned what he had planned to do and sent swift 
riders to tell the people of the surrounding country 
that the British were coming. Paul Revere, one of 
those riders, left Boston early in the evening, for 
at a certain hour guards were placed and no one was 
allowed either to enter or leave Boston. He waited, 
and, when he saw two lights in the belfry of the old 
North church, he mounted his horse and sped away. 
The road to Lexington was a familiar one. He 
stopped at a house, which stood near the road, and 
struck the door with his whip. ^^ Who's there"? 
*^Paul Revere; the British march tonight to Lex- 
ington and Concord ; the committee of safety bids 
you hold your men in readiness." Before the cap- 



Re:volution 



183 



tain of the minute men could lower his window, he 
was on his way to tell the same news at every farm 
house along the way. 

Early in the morning, eight hundred of the trained 
soldiers of the British army marched into Lexing- 
ton with guns shouldered, bayonets fixed, and with 



3i2fiS.3»'SPr''^"t5Sv» 




L.l^s^S^S:^- ' 



PAUL REVERE'S RIDE 



the tramp, tramp of a disciplined army. Already 
they knew that their plans had been discovered for 
they could hear the ringing of bells and the firing 
of muskets which told them that the patriots had 
learned of it. They did not so much fear the min- 
ute men as they feared that the supplies which they 
had come to take had been taken away. They 
thought that a few dozen patriots would be as noth- 



184 History of thk United States 

ing compared to their great band of trained sol- 
diers. In order that they might feel even more 
secure they sent a messenger back to Boston to tell 
the officer there to send them more soldiers to be 
ready if they should need them. Then they sent six 
companies to get possession of the bridge across the 
Concord river. 

The leader of the little band of minute men had 

told the men, ''Don't fire unless you are fired on; 

but if they want a war, it may as well begin here.'' 

^7»"-^"**^^"^"''-^^3^'*^ How bravely they 

// '^^^'"^'"^J followed his order! 

r ..: 'r :Z^Zt..^ g On and on came the 

J^ '' '''"^■fe. British regulars un- 

'^Bp '" ^if^ HlMIP til within speaking 

MONi 1 - MxuTE-MEN distaucc. ' ' Dispcrsc, 
ye rebels!" shouted Pitcairn, the British com- 
mander, ^'Lay down your arms." Those men, 
who were facing death, not for their own glory, 
but because the spirit of liberty burned in their 
breasts, could not betray the trust and they would 
not lay down their arms. ''Fire," shouted Pit- 
cairn. The first volley of the revolution went 
whizzing through the air and sixteen of the New 
Englanders fell dead or wounded on the village 
common. 

The British soldiers hurried on to Concord and 
destroyed all of the supplies that had not been 
taken away by the colonists. The minute men kept 



REVOLUTION 



185 



pouring into Concord from the surrounding 
country until their number had increased to at 
least four hundred. The British regulars had 
divided into several companies, going to different 
parts of the village. The patriots gathered at the 
old North bridge, 
which was guarded by 
two hundred of the 
regulars. Soon they 
saw smoke and be- 
lieved their homes, 
which had already 
been plundered, were 
n o w being burned. 
Their leaders coun- 
seled together for a 
moment and then de- 
cided to march across 
the bridge. They were 
not to fire unless the 
British fired u p o n 
them. These sturdy 

patriots had been taught to do with all their might 
what their hands found to do and when two of their 
comrades had fallen they emptied their guns and 
put the British to flight. A little before noon the en- 
tire British army was on a retreat to Boston. The 
men were already tired but the constant fire of the 
minute men caused them to travel much faster than 




MONUMENT AND BRIDGE AT 
CONCORD 



186 History oi^ the: United State:s 

they came, for, from behind the trees and rocks, 
men were continually firing at them. It was a run- 
ning fight of twenty miles and if help had not been 
sent out to meet them the entire army would have 
been captured. The nineteenth day of April, 1775, 
will always be remembered as the first day of the 
revolution. The news of the events of that day 
spread throughout the world. It fired the patriotic 
spirit of the colonists and men in all of the colonies 
offered their help. Within a few days the army 
around Boston increased to twenty thousand. 
Troops came from New Hampshire, from Dela- 
ware and several of the more remote colonies. 
Israel Putnam, a man of great courage and pres- 
ence of mind, was ploughing in his field in Con- 
necticut when the news reached him. Without 
changing his working clothes, he mounted his horse 
and in eighteen hours, rode to Boston, a distance 
of one hundred miles. It was at once felt that 
there was no longer a New Englander, a New 
Yorker or a Virginian, but that they must all unite 
for independence. 



Revolution 187 

SUGGESTIONS 

Who were the ''minute men"? 

Locate Boston, Concord, Lexington. 

Tell the story of Israel Putnam. 

Difficult words : musket, patriotic, epaulet, belfry. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Paul Revere's Ride. — (Longfellow.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The first day of the Revolution was a surprise to the British 
soldiers. The minute men forced them to retreat to Boston. 



188 History of thk United States 



WASHINGTON, COMAIANDER-IN-CHIEF 

1775 To 1781 

It was soon realized that enthusiasm alone would 
not bring success to the patriots. There must be 
some method by which one man must become 
responsible for the plans which were to be adopted 
and for the leadershii3 of the soldiers. The men, 
who had offered their services, loved their country 
and were willing to give even their lives that this 
country might be free, but they needed some one 
to tell them what to do and how to do it. 

On May 10th, 1775, the Second Continental Con- 
gress met in Philadelphia. Men were there from 
different colonies. Franklin, who had just returned 
from England, was there. It was a great meeting 
of heroes and 2)atriots. They decided, early in 
the meeting, that the army which had gathered 
around Boston, should be called the Continental 
army, meaning that it was to be composed not of 
men from any one part of the country, but that all 
of the colonies of the continent were united to 
defend each other. 

George Washington w^as a member of the con- 
gress and when he heard his name placed in nomina- 
tion as commander-in-chief of the American army 
he arose and left the hall. He remarked to a friend 
standing outside, '^I fear that this day will mark 



Rejvolution 



189 




the beginning of the downfall of my military repu- 
tation. ' ' He was elected by a unanimous vote. The 
next day he accepted the office and in a shortaddress 
he promised that he would do his best for his coun- 
try. ^' But, ''he added, 
^^I declare, with the 
utmost sincerity, I do 
not think myself equal 
to the command I am 
honored with." It is 
wonderful what can 
be done when one does 
the best he can, and 
so it was with Wash- independence hall 

ington. Everybody had confidence in him, and 
knew that everywhere and at all times he was 
doing the best he could. He would not accept 
any pay for his services, but said that he would 
keep an accurate account of his expenses and 
when the war was over that congress could pay him 
if it so desired. Congress sent a final petition to 
the king, but he would not receive it, so the war 
moved on. 

Washington passed through New York on his 
way to Cambridge to take command of the Conti- 
nental army. In an address delivered for him, the 
hope was expressed that he would be willing to 
resign his position as commander-in-chief if En- 
gland and the colonies could compromise. Wash- 



190 



History oi^ the United States 



ington replied: '^Having drawn the sword, I 
postpone all thought of private life until American 
liberty has been established on most firm and solid 
foundations." He continued his journey to Cam- 
bridge and on July 
third, accompanied by 
a large number of of- 
ficers, he appeared on 
the Cambridge com- 
mon, near the college. 
Under a wide-spread- 
ing elm, in the pres- 
ence of a great crowd 
of soldiers and citi- 
zens, he took the oath 
and drew his sword as 
commander - in - chief 
of the Continental 
army. We can under- 
stand why the crowd 
cheered for joy as he 
wheeled his horse, for 
Washington inspired confidence by his manly bear- 
ing. He was dressed in a blue broadcloth suit, buff 
small-clothes, silk stockings and a cocked hat. 
Mrs. Adams wrote to a friend saying that these 
words of Dry den came to her mind as she looked at 
him on that memorable day : 



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fflF'^*"" 


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mJm 


^H 






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IMP 


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WASHINGTON ELM 



REVOLUTION 



191 



"Mark his majestic fabric! His a temple 
Sacred by birth, and built by hands divine ; 
His soul's the Deity that lodges there, 
Nor is the pile unworthy of the God." 

"Washington made his headquarters at a large 
house about a half mile west of the college. A good 
many years after this, when the country was at 










WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS 



peace and our independence had been well estab- 
lished, there lived in this same house our loved 
American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 
He planned not battles and camj)aigns but wrote 
tender and soul-stirring lines about the early his- 
tory of our country. Surely no other house ever 
served as a home for two greater men, yet they 



192 History of the: Unitkd State:s 

were totally different. Washington, by his heroism, 
made it possible for Longfellow to giye us his 
beautiful harmonies of life. 

Washington at once took charge of the army of 
about fourteen thousand yolunteers. His first care 
was to see that the British did not escape from 
Boston, and eyen while he was doing this it was 
no less a care to discipline and organize his army. 
For eleyen months he kept the British shut up in 
Boston, but he finally decided to make them either 
fight or run. It is not known why General Howe, 
who had succeeded Gage, did not occupy the Dor- 
chester Heights, for they oyerlooked both the city 
and the harbor. Washington saw the opportunity 
and while one part of his army was busy cannonad- 
ing the city from another side, two thousand of his 
soldiers were busy pulling the heayy guns to the 
top of Dorchester Heights and carrying timbers 
and bales of hay for the fortifications. Early next 
morning, Howe saw what had been done. He 
realized that it had taken a large army to build such 
a fort and he was at a loss to know what to do. He 
decided he would attack the fort, but a storm arose 
and he waited until the next day. By that time the 
fort had become so strongly fortified that it was 
thought best to leaye Boston. He threatened to 
leaye the town in ashes if they were fired upon, so 
they were allowed to hurry away in their ships to 
Halifax. They did not take with them their heayy 



Revolution 



193 



arms and ammunition and when Washington and 
his Continentals marched into Boston they found 
more guns and ammunition than his army had ever 
seen. Thus it was that by wise management the 
British army withdrew from New England. 

Congress had a gold medal made for Washington 
with these words on it: '^Victorious over the enemy 
for the first time put to flight." England deter- 




THE MEDAL GIVEN TO WASHINGTON 

mined to make it no play day with the colonists. She 
made a treaty with some of the smaller German 
states and hired seventeen thousand Hessians for 
the war in America. The Continental Congress had 
been continuously in session since the tenth "of 
March, but when the members met together on the 
first day of July it was generally believed that the 
colonies should declare themselves independent of 
the mother country. The debated the question un- 
til two o'clock on July fourth, when a vote was 
taken. As soon as it was announced that the Dec- 
laration had been adopted, people everwv\^here told 



194 



History o^ the United States 



and retold the glad message. Bonfires were lighted 
and bells rung. In New York they pulled down the 
leaden statue of George III and cast it into bullets. 
Washington ordered the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence read at the head of each brigade of the army. 

It had fallen to the lot 
of Thomas Jefferson 
to coin the Avish of the 
people into words. So 
well did he do his 
work that, when it was 
read by scholars of 
England they mar- 
veled at its strength 
and simplicity of lan- 
guage. 




LIBERTY BELL 



The British general 
would not recognize 
Washington as a general when he sent a message to 
the American camp. He addressed his message, 
^'George Washington, Esq.'' Washington re- 
turned it unopened. Then he sent another address- 
ed, ''George Washington, etc., etc., etc." The 
bearer of the message said the and-so-f orth might 
mean General of the American Army, but Wash- 
ington sent the message away for he would not re- 
ceive an insult to his office. 

The British were anxious to get possession of 
New York, for if they could firmly plant their army 



Rkvolution 



195 



here they would separate the New England from 
the Southern colonies. Washington was busy in 
New York trying to keep the British out of New 
York, but he could not succeed, for they gained the 




SIGNING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 

victory and followed him across New Jersey. When 
he reached the Delaware river, he gathered up all 
the boats along the river and took them with his 
army to the other side. He was then in Pennsyl- 
vania, and the British had no way to cross the 
river. Lord Cornwallis, one of the British gen- 
erals, had left fifteen hundred German soldiers at 
Trenton. They were called ^^Hessians" in Ger- 
many. They were waiting for the Delaware to 
freeze and they then planned to cross over and 
attack Washington's army. Washington did not 



196 History of thk United State:s 

wait for the river to freeze but put a large number 
of Ms soldiers in boats and crossed in a blinding- 
snow storm. The river was full of floating ice, but 
Washington knew that the Germans would cele- 
brate Christmas and would not be expecting him. 
It was intensely cold; Washington's men were 
thinly dressed, and their shoes were ragged, but 





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'k^ 






1 ^ 


'^mm^. / 


4\ 


m.s^t,... ' ■ - --" / _^»!<» ■ 





CROSSING THE DELAWARE 



they w^ere brave and courageous men. Two of his 
men froze to death and the others suffered greatly. 
They came upon the little town where the Hessians 
were camped, and almost before they knew it Wash- 
ington had taken one thousand of the Germans 
prisoners. The rest escaped to tell Cornwallis of 
what had happened. This was really the first battle 
won by the Continental army. It helped to encour- 
age the soldiers and it gave confidence in what they 



Revolution 



197 



could do. Washington never forgot his duty to his 
fellow man and, when the leader of the Hessian 
soldiers lav dying, he Avent to see him and sympa- 
thized with him as he would have done with a friend. 
This showed that although Washington was a sol- 
dier yet he loved to do a kind act even to his enemy. 
He was leading his army in battles because he 
knew that there was no 
other way to secure liberty 
for the oppressed col- 
onists. 

He took his Grerman 
prisoners across the river 
into Pennsylvania and a 
few days later re-crossed 
the Delaware into New 
Jersey. He slipped around 
Cornwallis, while he lay asleep in his tent, and cap- 
tured a part of his army at Princeton. When Corn- 
wallis heard the cannon, he thought that Washing- 
ton had out-generaled him. The things that Wash- 
ington accomplished with his little band during the 
six weeks following Christmas are said to be the 
most brilliant ever done in any country. 

Ever}i:hing was not successful for Washington, 
for by the next winter the British had taken pos- 
session of Philadelphia, then the seat of govern- 
ment. The red-coats, as the British were called, 
were entertained by the Tories with parties and 




WASHINGTON'S CAMP 
CHEST 



198 



History of the United States 



dinners. The Tories were the people who sympa- 
thized with the English and there were many of 
them not only in Philadelphia bnt also scattered 
throughout the colonies. 

About twenty miles away in a rocky mountain 
gorge, Washington was encamped with his army. 
The place was called Valley Forge. The life of his 




SURRENDER OF GENERAL BURGOYNE 



soldiers was in great contrast with the gay life of 
the British at Philadelphia. His men were ragged 
and without shoes. It is really true that his sol- 
diers' tracks in the snow were stained with blood. 
They did not even have tents to sleep in but huts 
built from logs and boughs of trees. 

These were the saddest hours of the Revolution, 
but a better time was coming. Burgojme, one of 



Re;volution 



199 



the British generals, was forced to surrender to 
the Continental army under General Gates, at Sar- 
atoga in New York. Burgoyne was a proud but 
brave soldier and when he gave up his sword to 
General Gates he said very courteously, ^'The for- 
tunes of war, General Gates, have made me your 
prisoner." General Gates, who was equally brave 
and polite, replied : ^ ^ I shall always be glad to tes- 
tify, General Burgoyne, that it was through no 
fault of yours that it happened so." AYhen news 
of this reached France, Franklin and the two men 
who were with him, were able to persuade France 
to lend us money and to 
send us soldiers and war- 
ships. There was a young 
man in France, Marquis de 
Lafayette, who, although 
he was only nineteen 
years of age, was so much 
in sympathy w i t h our 
cause that he left his own 
country and c a m e to 
America and offered his ^ .."; 

services for the cause of marquis de lafayette 
liberty. " One of the first things that he did was to 
furnish food and clothing for the troops in South 
Carolina for they were badly in .need. Washing- 
ton became warmly attached to the young French- 
man. Lafayette gave himself so completely to the 




200 



History of the United States 



cause of independence that even after the war was 
over he used to call himself an American. 

At the time of the Revolution we did not have a 
regular navy, but men who owned vessels allowed 
them to be sent to capture English vessels wherever 

they might be found. This 
was very annoying to the 
British and more than five 
hundred of their vessels 
were captured in this w^ay. 
Paul Jones was one of the 
famous naval heroes. He 
w^as cruising off the north- 
ern coast of England 
when he met an English 
vessel, the Serapis. Jones 
had named his vessel the 
BonJiomme Richard (Goodman Richard) in honor 
of Franklin, because he so much admired his say- 
ings in ' ' Poor Richard. ' ' 

One evening he came alongside the Serapis and 
began firing on her. When the contest had lasted 
about an hour the Serapis hailed the Richard and 
asked if she had ^^ struck her colors.'' ^^I have 
not begun to fight," replied Jones. He fastened 
both boats together and it became a hand-to-hand 
contest. Three times both ships were on fire. At 
last at ten o'clock the Serapis surrendered. 




PAUL JONES 



REVOLUTION 



201 



You must understand that the war was not 
carried on at one place under one general, but 
wherever there was an American there was a sol- 
dier. In the north, in the south, on the sea and 
on the land, the contest was waging. The women 




THE FIRST NAVAL BATTLE 



and children were not enlisted in the army, but 
whenever they found an opportunity to help they 
were always ready and willing to lend a hand. 

In the south there was a brave patriot named 
Marion who was so successful in stealing marches 
on the enemy that he was called the ^^Fox of the 
Southern Swamp." At one time a British officer 
came to his camp to talk to him about exchanging 
prisoners. When they had completed their i^lans, 



202 



History of the United States 



General Marion invited him to dine with him. The 
dinner consisted of baked potatoes served on pieces 
of bark. The young officer inquired if this was 
his usual fare. He replied, ^'We thought our- 
selves fortunate in having more potatoes than 
usual, when we had a visitor to dine with us.'^ 
When the British officer learned that General Mar- 
ion and his patriotic band were fighting without 
pay, and that Marion himself had neither blanket 

nor hat, he returned to 
Charleston, w here the 
British army then was, and 
resigned his position in 
the English army. He said 
he would not use his in- 
fluence to deprive such 
worthy people of their lib- 
erty. 

But Cornwallis was 
never moved by such noble 
impulses. His army was now at Yorktown in Vir- 
ginia. Washington had been watching the British 
from New York. He did not want Cornwallis to 
suspect his plan, so he kept working away at New 
York until the French fleet reached Yorktown to 
prevent his making his escape by sea. Then Wash- 
ington with his own army and some French sol- 
diers, quickly marched to Yorktown by land. 




FRANCIS MARION 



Evolution 203 

They were soon on Virginia soil and Washington 
rode ahead of his army in order that he might 
make a little visit at his home at Mt. Vernon which 
he had not seen since he left it six years before to 
become commander-in-chief of the army. So eager 
was he to attack Yorktown that he hurried on after 
a two-day visit at his home. People everywhere 
caught his enthusiasm. Bands played as they 
marched through the towns and people shouted, 
**Long live Washington! He has gone to catch 
Cornwallis in his mouse trap.'' 

Yorktown was a small village on a strip of land 
which separates the York river from the James. 
Cornwallis realized his danger, for he knew that his 
escape by water had been shut off, and he also knew 
that his fortifications were no protection. For 
more than a week they kept up the firing both night 
and day. Cornwallis saw that it w^as useless to try 
to hold out longer so he surrendered. When the 
terms had been agreed upon, the French soldiers 
formed a line on one side and the American troops 
on the other. Cornwallis and his army marched 
between. The news, ^^ Cornwallis has surrendered! 
Cornwallis has surrendered!" i^assed from one to 
another throughout the country. On learning the 
glad news, congress retired to a church to give 
thanks to God. 

The surrender took place on October 19, 1781, 
but it was two years before the treaty of peace was 



804 



History of the: Unitkd States 



completed. When Washington was fully con- 
vinced that there would be no more fighting, he 
asked his officers to meet him in New York City. 
When they had assembled, he thanked them for 
their ready help and their courage during the 




SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS 



seven years of struggle ; then with his hand tremb- 
ling from emotion, he raised to his lips a glass of 
clear water and drank their health with the fol- 
lowing words : ^ ' With a heart full of love and grat- 
itude I now take leave of you, and most devoutly 
wish your later days may be as prosperous and 



Revolution 



205 



happy as your former ones have been glorious and 
honorable.'' He asked each of them to come and 
take hhn by the hand, and the brave soldiers, who 
had suffered with him at Valley Forge and who 
were with him at Yorktown, were not ashamed of 
their tear-stained faces when they said good-bye to 
their leader. 




WASHINGTON AND HIS GENERALS 



Washington went to Philadelphia and gave the 
proper officers a report of the money he had spent 
during the war. He had kept a careful record 
just as he used to do when he was a little boy. It 
showed that he had used seventy-four thousand 
four hundred and eighty-five dollars of his own 
money. He then went to Annapolis, where congress 



206 



History of the: Unite;d Statks 



was in session, and after making an eloquent ad- 
dress, resigned his office as commander-in-chief of 
the Continental army. As a private citizen, he re- 
tired to his home at Mount Vernon, having served 
his country for seven years. 




MOUNT VERNON 



Rkvolution 



207 



SUGGESTIONS 

Write yonr own story of George Washington. 
Why do you think he was a great man ? 
What trait of his character do you admire? 
Difficult words : enthusiasm, reputation, unanimous, accu- 
rate, postpone, volunteer, cannonade. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Building the Nation. — (Coffin.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Washington was a man of deeds. He loved his country. 
He endured privations with his soldiers, and did all that he 
could to relieve them. Declaration of Independence was 
adopted July -I, 1776. 




MAP AT CLOSE OF REVOLUTION 



SISTERHOOD OF STATES 

HOW OUR GOVERNMENT WAS FORMED 

TJwy Did Better Than They Knew 

Ever since tlie country was discovered by Colum- 
bus, the nations of the world had been watching its 
development. At first they vied with each other in 
getting possession of territory, but now at the close 
of the Revolution they were eager to know how it 
was to be governed. Some said that America 
would have a throne and that a son of the king 
of England would be asked to sit on it and rule the 
people. Others said that France had done so much 
to help the people win their independence that the 
crown would be given to some one in France. Still 
others thought that the colonies would be divided 
into three distinct countries and each governed 
separately. It was also hinted that Washington 
might be chosen king to rule all of the colonies, but 
he promx^tly put an end to any such plan for he 
firmly believed that the x)eople should govern them- 
selves. 

During the war the peo]3le had adopted as a 
basis of government an agreement which they 
called the Articles of Confederation. This agree- 



Sisterhood of States 209 

ment helped to keep the colonies together during 
the war but it was found to have many weak points. 
For example, there was no way provided by which 
their congress could raise money to pay the soldiers 
who had risked their lives that the colonies might 
be free from the exacting rule of England. This 
was a serious fault and in any other country the 
army would have again taken up their arms, but 
not so with the noble band of patriots. They would 
not spoil that which was dearer to them than life. 
They accepted the promise of the congress and re- 
turned to their homes to take up the life of liberty- 
loving citizens. The heavy debt which the war had 
caused could not be paid. No other country would 
lend us money because there was no well founded 
government. It is not strange that other countries 
wondered at what the outcome might be. There 
was no less concern among the leading men of the 
colonies. 

Six years after the surrender of Yorktown, it 
was decided to have a meeting of delegates from 
each of the colonies to plan for revising the old 
Articles of Confederation. In the month of May, 
fifty-five men from the various colonies met at 
Philadelphia. Men on horseback met Washington 
outside the city and escorted him to the place of 
the meeting. Benjamin Franklin, who was then 
eighty-one years of age, was the oldest member of 
the delegates. The youngest member was only 



210 History oi' thk United States 

twenty-six years of age. This was a most impor- 
tant gathering of men of influence. Washington 
was chosen president of the convention. Every- 
body had confidence in him for what he had already 
done. 

At first it was thought best to revise the old Arti- 
cles of Confederation, but Washington thought that 
the troubles were too deeply seated to remedy them 
in this way. His idea finally prevailed and they 
began to plan and to write out a new constitution 
or a plan which would give a stronger government 
by which the people should govern themselves. 
This would not seem a difficult thing to do, bvit 
when we remember that such a form of government 
as they planned had never before been tried, then 
we can realize that these delegates had before them 
a difficult task. They met every day for four 
months and sometimes their debates were exciting. 
What they did, and what they said, was kept a 
secret. The delegates allowed no one but them- 
selves at the meetings and nothing of what they 
did or said was printed in the newspapers. 

When they had finished their work, they voted 
that Washington should keep the record of their 
debates and speeches until congress should decide 
what to do with them. This only showed the great 
confidence that they had in him. He had been 
true to every trust that had been given him and now 
these valuable papers were to be given to him for 



SisTKRHooD o^ States 211 

safe-keeping. The last act of the convention was 
the signing of the new constitution. All of the 
members present except three signed their names. 
After Franklin had written his name, he stood 
near while the last members were signing, and, 
looking toward the president's chair, back of 
which a rising sun had been painted, he remarked 
that painters had often found it difficult to tell a 
rising sun from a setting sun. ^^I have," he said, 
^^ often and often, in the course of the session, 
looked at that sun behind the president, without 
being able to tell whether it was rising or setting ; 
at length I have the happiness to know it is a rising 
and not a setting sun." The work of the conven- 
tion being completed, it adjourned and after the 
members dined together, they returned to their 
homes to lend their influence to have their work 
adopted by the various states. 

SUGGESTIONS 
Why did the people not want a king? 
What were the "Articles of Confederation" ? 
What is the basis of our government? 

How did the people show their confidence in Washington? 
Difficult words: vied, constitution, escort, revise, adjourn. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Story of the Great Republic. — (Guerber.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
Our constitution was written by representatives of the peo- 
ple. 



213 History of the Uniti^d States 



WHAT THEY DID AND HOW IT BECAME A LAW 
They Laid the Foundation For Our Happiness 

As soon as the delegates had signed the constitu- 
tion which they had framed, it was published in 
the newspapers and people everywhere were talk- 
ing about it. Some thought that it should be 
adopted and others thought that it should not. 
Some thought that it should be sent to the state leg- 
islatures with the request that they call a special 
convention to act upon it. A copy of it was sent to 
congress and it came near being killed in its be- 
ginning. Congress at first did not propose to give 
its consent to do something that would put its mem- 
bers out of office, but it was finally agreed to send 
a copy to each state legislature for its adoption or 
refusal. 

As the people began to study it, they were com- 
pelled to admit that it had many good features. 
They learned that it provided for three things 
which were really necessary. It said that they 
should have a law^-making body which was to make 
such laws as the people needed. This was to be 
called congress. Then they were to have an execu- 
tive, or some one to see that the laws were enforced 
or executed. This important office was to be placed 
in the hands of the president of the United States. 
Then they were to have a department which was to 



SiSTKRHOOD OF Statks 213 

explain the laws and tell just what they meant. 
The members of this department were to be appoint- 
ed by the president and were to form the supreme 
court and inferior courts. Now it would seem that 
no one would have opposed so simple a form of 
government. It was to have only three parts — a 
law making, a law enforcing, and a law explaining. 

The law making body was to have two divisions, 
the senate and the house of representatives. In or- 
der to satisfy the people of the small states, it was 
decided to give each state, the large and the small 
alike, two senators. Then the larger states were 
satisfied by allowing them to have a greater number 
of members in the house of representatives. These 
were to be elected according to the population of 
each state. 

The chief executive, or president of the United 
States, was to be elected for a period of four years 
by a body of men called the electoral college. The 
people of each state were to elect as man}^ men to 
this college as they had senators and representa- 
tives. Thus you can see how this important office 
was to be filled by the choice of the people. The 
president was to be commander-in-chief of the 
army and navy of the United States. He could 
name the men whom he w^anted for his counsellors 
or cabinet, but his choice must be approved by the 
senate. He was also to have powder to make treaties 
with foreign nations, but here again the senate 



214 History of the United States 

must approve what he did. Every step of the gov- 
ernment was carefully and thoughtfully worked 
out and yet the control of everything was left to 
the people. The greatest freedom was given the 
people and that was just the thing for which they 
had been struggling. 

It was necessary for nine of the thirteen states 
to sign the constitution before it would be binding 
on any of them. The little state of Delaware was 
the first to sign, but it was almost a year before 
enough states had signed to put the constitution 
into effect. The first Wednesday of January, 1789, 
was named as the time for the election of their 
president. George Washington was the choice of 
the people and in April, when the votes of the elec- 
toral college were counted, it was found that every 
vote had been cast for Washington. The new gov- 
ernment was at last to be tried. There were no 
longer thirteen separate states, but there was a 
strong sisterhood of states to which new states were 
to be added. New states have kept asking admis- 
sion to this sisterhood until now the sister states 
number forty-eight. More than a century has 
passed since the beginning, but w^e are still proud of 
the work of our fathers and the government, which 
thev founded will be maintained bv the sons. 



Sisterhood of States 215 

SUGGESTIONS 

Explain the departments of our government. 

Tell how our president is elected. 

Give the names of the youngest states of the United States. 

Difficult words : executive, cabinet, maintain. 



SOMETHING TO REME^IBER 
Our first president was elected in 1789. - 



216 



History of the United States 



GEORGE WASHINGTON, OUR FIRST PRESIDENT 

"First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His 

Country men" 

Guns and bells have played an important part 
in the history of our country. Bells were rung and 
guns were fired when it was announced that we had 
declared ourselves independent of England, and 
when that declaration became a reality the deep- 
toned bells and the boom, boom of many cannons 
expressed the joy of the people. On March the 

third, 1879, the battery 
guns in New York fired 
the farewell salute to the 
% #i^ ^^^ government under the 

Articles of Confederation. 
The next morning the 
church bells and the same 
guns announced the begin- 
ning of the new govern- 
ment under the constitu- 
tion. 

The old congress had 
ceased to exist, but there 
was little sign of the new order of government. 
There were only eight senators in the city when 
there should have been twenty-two, and only thir- 
teen representatives instead of fiftv-nine. The 




GEORGE WASHINGTON 



Siste:rhood of State;s 217 

electoral vote for the president could not be counted 
until a quorum of the new congress had assembled. 
It was a long and tedious journey for the members 
of congress to come from their homes to the seat 
of government at New York. Some came on horse- 
back and others by stage, but none of them were 
whisked in on electric or steam cars, for we had 
not then learned to travel in the modern way. 
Things were done much slower than now, but we 
must give credit where credit is due, and we must 
admit that what they did was well done, for the 
foundation which they laid for our government 
has stood the test of more than a hundred years. 

After about a month's delay, the votes were 
counted and, as we already know, every vote was 
for Washington. John Adams had been chosen 
vice-president. The next day Mr. Charles Thom- 
son started for Mount Vernon to tell Washington 
of his election. In ten days from this time Wash- 
ington bade farewell to his home and quiet life at 
Mount Vernon. As he went to the seat of govern- 
ment, people everywhere tried to show him how 
much they loved him. His friends and neighbors 
gave him an affectionate farewell. The old and the 
young, women and children, gathered along the way 
to give him greeting, for his approach was heralded 
by ringing of bells and roaring of cannon. At Bal- 
timore he was escorted through the city with a 
guard of honor. The governor of Pennsylvania 



218 



History of the: United State' 



met him at the state line with a military escort. 
A beautiful white horse was lead out for Washing- 
ton to mount and a large procession of cavalry 
advanced toward the city. Passing under tri- 
umphal arches of laurel, 
he entered Philadelphia 
amid shouts and cheers. 

His reception at Tren- 
ton was, perhaps, the 
most affecting. It may 
have been the memory of 
other days that moved 
the tender-hearted hero, 
but Washington de- 
clared that the impres- 
sion of it on his heart 
could never be effaced. 
Here was the place 
where, twelve years before, he had crossed this 
same river filled with floating ice. Here he had 
watched the camp-fires of Cornwallis in front of 
him and had resolved to strike the blow which 
shattered the dream of British victory. It was all 
changed now. The ladies of Trenton had caused a 
triumphal arch to be erected on the bridge. It was 
wreathed in evergreens and laurels and entwined 
with the green was the motto: ^^The defender of 
the mothers will be the protector of the daughters." 
The ladies of the city gathered at the bridge, and. 




WASHINGTON 
ON A WHITE HORSE 



Sisterhood of States 



219 



as he passed under the arch, girls dressed in white 
scattered flowers at his feet and sang a song which 
had been written for the occasion. 

His entire journey was a continued ovation, but 
Washington was not exultant about it. He was 
somewdiat depressed, for he knew that the people 




TRIUMPHAL ARCH 



would expect much of him, and he already realized 
how difficult it would be to start the new govern- 
ment. He sent a letter to the governor of New 
York, in which he told him that a quiet entry would 
be most agreeable to him, but the people of New 
York were enthusiastic and they wanted to show 
how much they appreciated him. Committees from 
both houses of congress waited at Elizabeth Point 
to receive him. He went on board a boat built for 
the occasion. It was manned with thirteen pilots 



220 History of the Unite:d Statks 

dressed in white uniforms. As they passed through 
the strait between New Jersey and Staten Island, 
other boats joined them, and they passed up the 
broad bay to New York, a grand array of boats. 
The ships at anchor in the harbor fired salutes as 
Washington's boat passed. On board two vessels, 
were parties of men and w^omen who sang appro- 
priate songs as his boat approached. One vessel, 
the Galveston, a Spanish man-of-war, made no 
sign of approvah until Washington's barge was 
nearly abreast, when suddenly it burst into a full 
array of flags and welcomed him with a salute of 
thirteen guns. At the landing were crowds of 
people and among them many of his fellow-soldiers 
of the revolution. 

His inauguration was delayed because they 
could not decide by what title he should be 
addressed. It was a great pleasure to Washington 
when it was announced that the title should 
be simply, ^^the president of the United States." 
The good judgment shown at that time has been 
recognized ever since. On the thirtieth of April, 
1789, religious services were held in all the churches 
at nine o'clock in the morning, and at twelve o'clock 
troops paraded before Washington's door and soon 
all filed to the City Hall. Dressed in a suit of dark 
brown cloth of American manufacture, Washing- 
ton appeared on the balcony amid the shouts of the 
multitude which had gathered. In the center of 



Sisterhood of States 



221 



the balcony, was a table on which lay a handsomely 
bound Bible on a crimson velvet cushion. As Chan- 
cellor Livingston, of New York, administered the 
oath, Washington laid his hand on the open Bible 
and reverently stooped and kissed it. The chancel- 
lor then stepped for- 
ward, and, waiving his i 
hand, shouted: ^'Long | 
live George Washing- ^ 
ton, president of the ^; 
United States.'' The 
flag was run up and 
the battery guns rang 
out the first salute. A 
French minister who 
saw and heard the 
demonstrations, said : 
' ' No sovereign ever 
reigned more com- 
pletely in the hearts of his subjects than Wash- 
ington in the hearts of his fellow-citizens. Nature, 
which had given him the talent to govern, distin- 
guished him from all others by his appearance. He 
had at once the soul, the look, and the figure of a 
hero. He never appeared embarrassed at homage 
rendered him, and in manners he had the advan- 
tage of joining dignity to great simplicity.'' 

His address to congress was brief, and he tried to 
tell them that everything which they did was 




INAUGURATION OF 
WASHINGTON 



222 



History of the United States 



important. A short time after his inauguration, 
he wrote, ^^I walk on untrodden ground." He 
realized that he had nothing of the past to guide 
his course and that what he did would be an 
example for others to follow. It was a trying time. 
Questions of seemingly little importance loomed 

up until they sometimes 
seemed to outweigh the 
important ones. Should 
the president receive 
and return calls? Should 
he mingle freely with 
the people or hold himself 
aloof? Should there be 
pomp and style, after the 
fashion of the European 
courts, or should there be 
simplicity ? He wisely 
adopted the plan of neither extreme. He gathered 
about him in his cabinet men who were .able to 
advise him. Their ideas sometimes differed 
greatly, but Washington had the good judgment to 
weigh and consider everything and then decide. 

For two successive terms he served the people as 
their president. He saw our nation grow and 
develop. He saw the great war debt lessened and 
our credit established at home and in foreign 
countries. He had served his country for forty- 
five years and he longed for the rest and quiet of 




WASHINGTON'S CHAIR 



Sisterhood of States 



223 



home. Two years after his retirement, the nation ^s 
hero passed away, on December 1-ith, 1799. Two 
days before, he had gone to a distant part of his 
estate. A cold December rain came on and before 
he reached home he was thoroughly chilled. The 
next dav he was seriously ill from a disease of the 




WASHIXGTOX AND LAFAYETTE 



throat which had caused him much annoyance. The 
following day he passed into that X3eaceful slumber 
from which neither the call of his countrymen nor 
the thunder of the cannon could arouse him. There 
was mourning, not in the United States alone, but 
throughout the countries of the world, for the name 
and the fame of Washington was world-wide. 



224 History o^ the United States 

Among generals, statesmen and patriots, lie was, 
as Lord Byron fittingly expressed it, recognized as 

''The first, the last, the best— 
The Cincinnatus of the West." 

SUGGESTIONS 

On what occasions in our country have bells been rung and 
cannons fired? 

Tell the story of Washington's inauguration. 

What did Washington mean when he said, "I walk on un- 
trodden ground."? 

SOMETHING TO READ 
George Washington. — (Scudder.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
Washington became the first president in 1789. 



EXPANSION 



THOMAS JEFFERSON 
The Author of the Declaration of Independence 

Thomas Jefferson was a mau of peace, who lived 
in a time of war. He was eleven years younger 
than Washington and, although he was born in 
the same state as our military hero, yet he was not 
influenced by the spirit of 
war, but by the spirit of 
peace. He was reared on 
a large Virginia planta- 
tion, and his father was 
careful that he was sup- 
plied with good books and 
that he learned to ride 
and to manage a boat on 
the river. He was early 
taught to write a good, leg- 
ible hand and to be accu- 
rate in his work in arithmetic. His father used to 
read to him from the dramas of Shakespeare, the 
letters of Addison, and the poems of Pope. When 
he was fourteen years of age, his father died, but / 
his care was not neglected by his mother. It is 




THOMAS JEFFERSON 



326 History op the: United States 

believed that lie received from her his taste for 
writing and his dislike for strife. When he was 
seventeen years of age, he entered William and 
Mary college. Here he had the opportunity to 
continue his study of music and language, for he 
was fond of both. As soon as he completed his 
college work, he began the study of law, which he 
as persistently pursued as he had his work at col- 
lege. After he was admitted to the practice of law 
he soon won a place among the leading lawyers of 
his time. 

Jefferson was not an orator, but his ability, as a 
writer and a deep thinker, has always been recog- 
nized. We will always remember him as the author 
of the Declaration of Independence. He did his 
work on it so well that scarcely a word was changed 
when it was accepted by the committee and adopted 
by congress. He so plainly stated why the colonies 
asked for freedom from British rule that the world 
recognized it as one of the ablest documents ever 
written. It is not strange that we honor the name 
of Jefferson. The year after the treaty of peace 
was signed he was sent as our minister to the repub- 
lic of France. He was five years in France, so he 
was not here to help write our constitution. Those 
were exciting times in France, for a great revolu- 
tion was threatening that country. Jefferson 
became more enthusiastic than ever that the best 
government was one by the people, for the good of 
all the people. 



Expansion 



227 



When Washington was elected president of the 
United States, he wanted Je:fferson to become his 
secretary of state. This was an honor to be asked 
to help in starting the new government, for Wash- 
ington wanted the ablest men in our country to 
help him. Jefferson would have preferred living 
at his home, which he called Monticello, meaning 
little mountain. He finally yielded to the wishes 
of Washington, and remained a member of his 
cabinet for five years. At last, tired of party dis- 
putes and wranglings, he retired to his home at 
Monticello. Washington and Jefferson were kin- 
dred spirits in the en- 
joyment of country 
home life. When he 
Avas in France he sent 
many seeds and plants 
to be tried in America's 
fertile soil. 

When Washington re- 
tired from public life, 
John Adams was elected 
president, and Jefferson 
vice - president. Four 
years later, Jefferson 
himself was elected by 
the people to direct the affairs of the govern- 
ment. He believed in the simple life, for he had 
seen much of the pomp of court life while in 



r 




JOHN ADAMS 



228 History of the: Uniti'D States 

France, and did not approve of it. When he 
was inaugurated president of the United States he 
did away with all parade. He was the first to intro- 
duce leather laces for shoes instead of the conven- 
tional buckles which had been so long in use. He 
introduced our present system of dollars and cents 
in our money system. He was also the founder of 
the University of Virginia. Perhaps the most far- 
reaching event of his work as president was the 
purchase from France of the vast tract of territory 
called Louisiana. Jefferson served his country for 
two successive terms. On the fourth day of July, 
1826, while bells were ringing and cannons were 
booming, the life work of both Thomas Jefferson 
and John Adams was ended. 

SUGGESTIONS 

What great men lived at the time of Jefferson? 
Compare the boyhood of Washington with that of Jeffer- 
son. 

Difficult words : legible, approve, conventional, succession. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
America's Story for American Children. — (Pratt.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of In- 
dependence. 



Expansion 



229 



THE PURCHASE OF LOUISIANA 

A Territory Seven Times Greater Than That of Great Britain 

and Ireland 



The purchase of that vast territory called Louisi- 
ana was of more imx3ortance than an3^one at that 
time realized. Perhaps the men who arranged for 
the purchase understood it better than any one else, 
but they could not foresee 
the millions of people who 
were to there make happy 
homes. Up to this time the 
western boundary of our 
United States had been 
the Mississippi river. We 
did not own even the west- 
ern bank of this g r e a t 
river, nor did we control 
its entrance into the Gulf 
of Mexico. The mouth of 
the Mississippi and all of the territory lying 
to the west belonged to Spain, for when, at 
the close of the war between France and En- 
gland, France lost Canada and her territory east 
of the Mississippi, she retained only New Orleans 
and that unexplored region west of the Mississippi, 
which was called Louisiana. France had grown 
tired of trying to have colonies in America, 




D'IBERVILI.E 
First French Governor 



230 



History o^ the United States 




SO she decided to transfer all of Louisiana 
to Spain. Louis XV, who signed the treaty 
for France (1763), hoped by this means to win the 
good-will of Spain. The treaty was kept a secret 

and it was more than five 
years before the Spanish 
began to send governors to 
Louisiana. 

France never ceased to 
be sorry because she had 
given up Louisiana. She 
tried, again and again, 
to buy it from Spain, but 
was unsuccessful. When 
Napoleon Bonaparte be- 
came first consul or ruler 
of France, he planned for France to again get 
possession of Louisiana. For three years he worked 
and planned. Then a definite agreement was 
reached. For the Louisiana territory France gave 
Spain a kingdom of at least a million people, which 
was situated north of Italy. This treaty was made 
October 1st, 1800. It, also, was kept a secret, for 
Napoleon did not want England to know that the 
territory had been transferred to France. It was 
not long until both England and the United States 
learned that Louisiana had again come under the 
control of France. Napoleon was ambitious to 
build up a great French settlement in America. 
England was determined to defeat him in this plan. 



DON DE ULLOA 
First Spanish Governor 



Expansion 231 

She immediately sent a fleet of twenty vessels to 
the Gulf of Mexico. This troubled Napoleon Bona- 
13arte, for he realized how helpless he was to defend 
Louisiana against the invasion of England. 

Our president, Thomas Jefferson, had already 
sent Robert Livingston to try to arrange for the 
purchase of the island on which stands the city of 
New Orleans, and also for the free navigation of 
the great Father of Waters. At that time we had 
no hope of getting possession of the territory west 
of the Mississippi, but we realized how important 
it was to have an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico 
through the great river. 

Livingston worked untiringly, trying to show 
Napoleon how useless it was for him to try to plant 
colonies in America. After 
a few months, James Mon- 
roe was sent to Paris to as- 
sist Livingston. The work 
that Livingston had done 
was beginning to bear 
fruit. Even before the ar- 
rival of Monroe, Napoleon 
had announced, ^^It is not 
only New Orleans I will napoleon bonaparte 
cede; it is the Avhole colony, without any reser- 
vation." This was a great surprise to both Liv- 
ingston and Monroe. At first it was thought to 
be too great an undertaking for our young repub- 
lic but it was finallv decided that the United States 




232 History of the: Unite^d States 

should pay France fifteen million dollars for the 
territory which they called Louisiana. 

The exact boundaries of this vast tract were not 
known. The di:fference of a few thousand square 
miles was not then thought to be of much import- 
ance. Our agents were well assured that the eastern 
boundary was the Mississippi river, from its source 
to its mouth, but its source was not known. On the 
north it was bounded by the territory belonging to 
Great Britain. The southern and western boun- 
daries were vague and uncertain, and here were 
the beginnings of future troubles. 

It was understood that the treaty did not include 
the territory west of the Eocky Mountains, the 
northern part of which, sixteen years later, became 
our territory when we purchased Florida from 
Spain. ^ It included the land now occupied in part 
by the. states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, 
Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, 
Wyoming, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Da- 
kota, and Montana. It is stated on good authority 
that the area of this territory is more than seven 
times that of Great Britain and Ireland, more than 
four times that of the German empire. It is larger 
than Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Por- 
tugal and Italy combined. It is about one-fourth 
less than the area of the thirteen original states. 

On April 30th, 1803, as soon as the treaty was 
signed, the three ministers, Livingston, Monroe and 
Marbois, arose and shook hands. Mr. Livingston, 



Expansion 



233 



voicing the kindl}^ feeling that existed among them, 
said : ^ ' AA e have lived long, bnt this is the noblest 
work of our lives. The treaty which we have just 
signed has not been obtained by art, or dictated 
by force. Equally advantageous to the two con- 
tracting parties, it will change vast solitudes into 
flourishing districts. From "this day the United 
States takes its place among the powers of the 
first rank; and the English lose all exclusive influ- 
ence in the affairs of America.'' 




Al 



-*«SU»'fct<i^Mt' 






en 



^> -^ •>»«! 



THE CABILDO IN 1792 



As Napoleon laid down his pen, after having 
signed the treaty, he is reported to have said: 
^'This accession of territory strengthens forever 
the power of the United States; and I have just 
given to England a maritime rival, that will sooner 
or later humble her pride.'' 

While the plans for this treaty were being con- 
sidered, the people of New Orleans and of the parts 



234 



History oi^ the: United State:s 




of the then called Louisiana, were living under the 
Spanish flag and a Spanish governor. It was not 
until November, the thirtieth, of the year 1803 that 
Louisiana was formally given by Spain to France. 
The ceremony took place at the old Cabildo or coun- 
cil hall. The Spanish banner was lowered and the 

tricolor of the French 
placed on the tall 
flagstaff. 

The excitement 
about this transfer 
had scarcely subsided 
when a vessel arrived 
from Bordeaux, bring- 
ing the news that Lou- 
isiana had been sold to 
the United States. In thirty days from the time 
that the French took possession, there was another 
ceremony. The representatives of Napoleon stood 
on the central balcony of the Cabildo awaiting the 
arrival of the Americans. Soon they came, led 
by Wilkinson, commander-in-chief of the army of 
the United States, and Claiborne, governor of Mis- 
sissippi territory. It w^as then high noon and our 
representatives were seated at either side of the 
French minister. He arose and explained the pur- 
pose of the gathering. Secretaries then read the 
treaty in both French and English. Claiborne read 
his authority from President Jefferson to receive 
the province. The French minister then gave to 



THE CABILDO IN 1914 



Expansion 



235 




C. C. CLAIBORNE 



Claiborne the keys of the city, saying so that all 
might hear : ' ' I pro- 
claim that all citizens and 
inhabitants of Louisiana 
are from this moment re- 
lieved from their oath of 
fidelity to the French re- 
public/' He then invited 
Claiborne to take the cen- 
tral seat and he sat at his 
side. Governor Claiborne 
assured the people that the 
United States would re- 
ceive them as brethren and that their property, 
rights, and religion would be protected. 

During all the ceremony the great flag of France 
had been floating at the top of the flagstaff. Slowly 

now it descended. A 
French officer re- 
ceived it in his arms, 
a n d, wrapping it 
around his body 
walked to the 
French quarters. 
Soon the ^' Stars 
and Stripes'' float- 
ed to the breeze and 
the Louisiana terri- 
tory was a part of 
our United States. 




236 



History oi^ the: United States 



SUGGESTIONS 

Trace on your map the territory of Louisiana. 

Why was its purchase important? 

Difficult words : cede, advantageous, maritime. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Children's Stories of American Progress. — (Wright.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The United States paid France fifteen million dollars for 
the Louisiana territory. 



f ^ 




Expansion 237 



LEWIS AND CLARK EXPLORE THE NEW 
TERRITORY 

TJiey Opened the Way For Traders and Settlers 

The great northwest had always been interesting 
to Tliomas Jefferson, who was president at the 
time of the purchase. Years before, when he was 
our minister to France, lie met a man by the name 
of John Ledyard, who was trying to organize a 
fur trading company to have the valuable furs of 
this section sent to the United States rather than 
to England. Jefferson proposed to this man that 
he should go to Kamchatka and then cross the 
Pacific ocean in a Russian vessel, and explore the 
interior. He agreed, if Jefferson would secure 
permission from the Russian empress. This 
he did, but just as Ledyard was about to start from 
Kamchatka, near which place he had passed the 
winter, he was stopped by officers and told that the 
Russian empress had changed her mind and would 
not allow him to go. Thus the first effort to learn 
something of the great west was suddenly at an end. 

When the purchase of Louisiana had been com- 
pleted, Jefferson sent an account of the country 
to congress. It was impossible then to get accurate 
descriptions of this unknown country, but we now 
know that it would have been hard to exaggerate 
the grandeur of the natural scenery, or the great 



238 



History of the United States 




YELLOWSTONE FALLS 



Expansion 



239 



wealth which lay hidden in the mines, or the possi- 
bilities of the soil of this country. He told them 
that the great prairies were covered with buffalo 
and that there were blu:ffs carved by the hand of 
nature resembling great tow^ers. Congress became 
so interested in the new 
territory that it was de- 
cided to send an exploring 
party to trace the Missouri 
to its source, to cross the 
Rocky Mountains, or 
Stony Mountains, as they 
were called, and then to 
reach the sea by the 
streams. This w^ould locate 
the great waterways which 
in opening up a new coun- 
try, were then even more 
important than now. 

This expedition was led 
by tw^o officers named 
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. These 
young men were of good Virginia families and 
were familiar with frontier life. They were given 
careful instructions about what they should do. 
First, they were told to keep a careful record of 
all they did and all they saw. In order to safeguard 
their records they were to keep two copies, one of 
Avhich was to be on birch bark, because it was not 




MERIWETHER LEWIS 



240 



History of the United States 



as easily destroyed as paper. They were to make 
a careful study of the Indian tribes so that it might 
be easier to establish trade with them. They were 
to report about the soil, climate, minerals, plant 

life, mountains, rivers, lakes, 
and the strange animals that 
roamed in the forests. On 
May 14th, 1804, a party of 
twenty-seven set out from 
St. Louis, which was then a 
small village. Their three 
small boats were heavily 
loaded with supplies and 
presents for the Indians. 
One of the boats was forty- 
five feet long and had a deck 
over part of it. The others 
were open row boats. They 
were able to go from ten to twenty miles a day 
against the tawny water of the Missouri. At first 
they could see the scattered houses of French set- 
tlers and traders, but as they advanced they saw 
fewer and fewer signs of settlement. 

By the 21st of October, they had reached the 
villages of the Mandan Indians which were near 
what is now the city of Bismark, North Dakota. 
Everything told them that winter was fast 
approaching. The last swans had gone south and 
the frost hung heavy on the trees until mid-day. 




WILLIAM CLARK 



Expansion 241 

The Indians were friendly and helped them build 
their log houses. There was plenty of game and 
they settled down to a quiet winter. 

They made short excursions on the frozen river 
and traveled through the nearby forests, but their 
greatest entertainment was sitting around the fires 
and listening to the strange stories which the red 
men told of hunting and fishing and of the brave 
deeds of their warriors. 

When spring came the party divided, one part 
returning down the river in the long boat. They put 
in it specimens of stuffed animals, Indian curios, 
plants, seeds, salt, minerals and various kinds of 
soil. For many years 
these were kept at Jeffer- 
son's home at Monticello. 
The other party continued 
their course up the Mis- 
souri. They went through 
North Dakota and into ^ ^ ^^^^^ ^ ^ 

MONTICELLO 

Montana. Their journey 

became difficult, but at last they could hear 
the distant roar of the Great Falls. They were 
delighted at the beauty of the scenery and wrote 
a glowing description of it. It was not an easy 
task to get the boats and supplies around the falls. 
They had to be carried eighteen miles on rude 
wagons, the wheels of which they made out of sec- 




242 History of the: Uniti:d States 

tions of the trunks of Cottonwood trees. Tliey soon 
came to a rocky gorge, which they named Gate of 
the Rocky Mountains. Passing through this, they 
came to the head w^aters of the Missouri. They 
had been able to accomplish two things. They 
had made friends with the Indians and had found 
the source of the Missouri river, for now this 
mighty river was nothing more than a brook over 
which they could easily step. 

In a short time they crossed the mountains and 
came to another stream. They followed this stream 
for three days and found that it flowed into a 
larger one, which proved to be the Columbia 
river. They spent many weeks in finding the 
mouth of this river. One morning the fog was so 
dense that they could see only the outlines of the 
hills and mountains, but suddenly the fog lifted 
and before them lay the waters of the Pacific. It 
was now the 7th of November, 1805, and their long 
journey of over four thousand miles was ended. 
It was too near the winter season to think of return- 
ing, so they planned to spend the winter on the 
Pacific coast, under quite different circumstances, 
however, from those under which people now go to 
spend the winter on the coast. 

They prepared their camp, and, as the previous 
winter, they spent their time in becoming ac- 
quainted w^ith conditions of the new country and in 
trading with the Indians. The winter was mild, and 



Expansion 243 

in March tliey began their return journey. They 
reached St. Louis in safety and were received with 
much enthusiasm. The news of their successful 
journey spread tliroughout the country. The report 
which they gave of the newly acquired territory 
helped people to understand how valuable it might 
become. The way was now open for the fur traders 
and trappers, who were the forerunners of that 
great army of settlers who have changed the plains 
to gardens and have torn from the bosom of the 
earth untold wealth. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Trace on your map how Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific 
Ocean. 

Where is Kamchatka? 

Difficult words : latitude, grandeur, excursion, forerunner. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

In 1805 Lewis and Clark opened the way to the great 
northwest. 



244 History of the United States 



THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND WAR WITH 
ENGLAND 

The Real War of Independence 

For almost thirty years after England promised 
to recognize our country as a separate nation, there 
was continual trouble between the mother country 
and the new republic. The words of the wise old 
philosopher, Benjamin ^Franklin, seemed almost 
prophetic. Seven years after the treaty of peace 
had been signed, he said that the war which had 
closed with the surrender of Cornwallis was only 
the war of revolution and that the war of inde- 
pendence was yet to come. 

It is true that England had said that we were 
independent of her control, but in many respects 
she treated us as though we were still one of her 
colonies. It was a critical time for us for we had 
not learned to manufacture. It had been our cus- 
tom to send to England for everything, and she was 
determined to keep us dependent upon her as 
long as possible. England was at war with France. 
This was unfortunate for us for it placed our ships 
at sea in a dangerous position. England said that 
we could not trade with her enemy, France, nor with 
any territory belonging to France. Wherever 
England found one of our ships she would stop it. 
She claimed the right to learn what it carried 



Expansion 245 

and whither it was bound. If it were believed that 
we were in any way violating England's orders, 
she would take the vessel for her own. England 
did not even stop with thus damaging our com- 
merce, but she also claimed the right to question 
our seamen. If she found any that were English- 
men she compelled them to go on board the English 
vessels. She claimed that an Englishman could 
not become an American. ^^Once an Englishman, 
always an Englishman," was her claim, although 
we claimed that it was unjust. It wrought great 
hardship to our commerce, for we had no assurance 
that the men who manned our vessels would be 
allowed to take them to their landing. 

We had hoped to avoid trouble with France for 
we well remembered how that country had helped 
us free ourselves from England. Napoleon was 
now ruler of France and when he learned what 
England had done he would not allow our vessels 
to trade with England. He immediately issued 
decrees that vessels should not enter or leave Brit- 
ish ports and that vessels that allowed British offi- 
cers to search them should forfeit themselves to 
France. 

It was a choice between surrendering our vessels 
to England or to France. England had more ves- 
sels on the high seas and it is probable that she 
secured the greater number of our vessels. The 
onlv wav to insure our safetv was to stav in our 



246 History oi^ thk United Statks 

own harbors. Our peace-loving president, Thomas 
Jefferson, thought that it would be best to keep 
our vessels at home. Congress then issued what 
has been called ^'The Embargo Act." This act 
prohibited our vessels from leaving our harbors. 
The plan was to injure commerce of Great Britain 
and France. It ruined our commerce instead. We 
could not send away the rich products of our fields 
and forests. Soon there was much complaining 
about what had been done. Many said that the 
word ^^ Embargo'' should be spelled backward and 
that it really was an ^^O Grab Me Act." When 
James Madison became the new president, congress 
did away with the old law and made a new one 
which allowed our vessels to go to any country ex- 
cept Great Britain. It was not long until both Great 
Britain and France were willing to allow our ves- 
sels to trade with their countries. We were much 
encouraged and thought that our troubles were at 
an end, but it was not long until it was well under- 
stood that England would not allow us to trade 
with France. 

We considered this an insult to our indepen- 
dence. We believed that w^e had a right to trade 
wherever we pleased and that the sailors on our 
vessels ought not to be molested. The motto, ^ ' Free 
Trade and Sailors' Rights," was adopted. It was 
somewhat difficult to decide whether we ought to de- 



Expansion 247 

clare war against England or France. It would be 
impossible to oppose both of them. It soon became 
clear that England was the greater offender for she 
had continued to hold military posts on our frontier. 
These she had refused to give uj) and was con- 
stantly stirring up trouble between our pioneer set- 
tlers and the Indians. The trouble on land, how- 
ever, was not the principal trouble, for if war must 
come, it was to be a sailors' war. It would decide 
whether our seamen could sail the high seas without 
being questioned by British officers. It would also 
decide whether our ships would be safe from the 
attack of the British. 

One night Commodore Rodgers, commanding 
the American frigate, President, was cruising near 
the coast of Sandy Hook. He noticed a strange 
craft and hailed it. Instead of a polite answer as 
he expected, he received a cannon ball in the main- 
mast of his vessel. Rodgers returned the fire and 
in a short time the guns of the enemy were silenced. 
Anxiously, Rodgers and his men waited for the 
morning. The first red rays of the morning 
revealed the story. The unknown vessel was found 
to be the British Little Belt. Each vessel turned 
homeward. The event caused great excitement in 
both countries. It was a year until war was for- 
mally declared, but it was a year of anxious prepa- 
ration. Four new states had already been made a 
part of the United States and now Louisiana, the 



248 History of the: Unitkd States 

fifth state was admitted. Thus eighteen states and 
a vast unorganized territory took up arms 
against the country from whom the thirteen col- 
onies had declared their independence about thirty 
years before. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why was this called the "Sailors' War"? 

What did England mean by the expression, "Once an En- 
glishman always an Englishman"? 

Difficult words : recognize, violate, wrought, decree, em- 
bargo. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The war of 1812 settled the question about American sea- 
men. Their rights -have since been respected. 



Expansion 249 



HOW THE WAR WAS :\IANAGED 

This War is sometimes called the Sailors' War 

When we could no longer endure England's cruel 
and oppressive acts, a declaration of war was issued 
by congress. This was on the nineteenth of June, 
1812. As in the war of the Revolution, we planned 
for one man to act as commander-in-chief of the 
American armies. General Henry Dearborn of 
Massachusetts was chosen for this responsible po- 
sition. He was to be given an army of seventy-five 
thousand soldiers including the new volunteers. 
Then the government was to borrow eleven million 
dollars to meet the expense of the war. This 
seemed a large offering of men and of money but 
not too large for the youngest of civilized nations 
to use in war with one of the oldest and most 
powerful. 

To the north lay Canada, a British possession. 
It was but natural that this should be one of the 
chief points of attack. It was finally decided to 
attack the British at Detroit. While General Hull 
was getting everything in readiness for the conflict 
at Detroit, a massacre took place on ground that 
is now within the city of Chicago. It was then 
called Fort Dearborn, and was first established in 
1803. It stood at the mouth of the Chicago river. 
There were about fif tv soldiers with their families 



250 History of the United States 

stationed at this fort. General Hull thought best 
to have them join his forces at Detroit. A journey 
of more than two hundred miles through the wilder- 
ness was a dangerous undertaking in time of war. 
Before leaving the fort it was decided to call a coun- 
cil of the friendly Indians. The captain of the fort 
told them that he was going on a long journey, and 
that he would give them everything at the fort that 




FORT DEARBORN 
(By permission of the Illinois Historical Society) 

he could not take with him. The Indians were 
greatly pleased. After the captain of the little 
band had everything in readiness for the long 
journey, he destroyed all of the guns and gun- 
powder that he could not take with him. These 
were the very things that Indians most highly 
prized. The next day when the Indians discovered 
the trick, they were disappointed, and determined 
to have revenge. 



Expansion 251 

They followed him and concealed themselves be- 
hind a low ridge of sand-hills. When the little 
band from the fort came within firing distance, the 
Indians rushed out from their hiding and merci- 
lessly destroyed the men, women, and children. 

The next day after the fight near Fort Dearborn, 
the British general demanded the surrender of 
Detroit. General Hull was in command of the 
American troops and everything seemed favor- 
able to his success. It is true that there were many 
more British soldiers than there were American 
soldiers, but the Americans had by far the better 
position. Everything was in j^erfect readiness for 
the battle when the British general noticed a white 
flag — a table cloth — fluttering from the American 
fort. He sent a messenger to enquire what it meant 
and was surprised when he was told that General 
Hull had decided to surrender the fort. General 
Hull not only gave up the fort, but he also sur- 
rendered to the British the entire territory of 
Michigan of which he was the governor. General 
Hull was severely criticised for thus giving the fort 
and territory to the British. 

This did not put an end to the efforts to go into 
Canada. The Americans were not as successful 
with their battles on the land as they were with 
their battles on the water. Since this was a war for 
the rights of sailors it was not strange that many of 
the battles were on the sea. The English people did 
not consider that the American ships amounted to 



252 History of thk Unite:d States 

much. They said one of the ships, tlie Constitution, 
was ' ' A bunch of pine hoards, under a bit of striped 
bunting. ' ' 

Soon after the surrender of Detroit, this same 
ship, the Constitution was engaged in a battle with 
the British ship, the Guerriere, that had thirty- 
eight guns. In a short contest the Guerriere was so 




THE CONSTITUTION AND GUERRIERE 

disabled that it could do little damage. Captain 
Hull, who was a nephew of general Hull and who 
had none of his uncle's cowardice, sent an officer 
to take possession of the Guerriere, The captain 
of the English vessel was slow to surrender. Cap- 
tain Hull insisted on a definite answer. He wanted 
to know whether he should consider him a prisoner 
of war or an enemy. At last he relunctantly said, 
^^If I could fight longer, I would with pleasure ; but 
I — must — surrender — myself — a — prisoner of 



Expansion 253 

war!'' You can find the location of this contest by 
drawing a line east from Cape Cod and another 
sovith from Cape Race. The point where the lines 
meet locates very nearly the place where the vessels 
met. 

There were many engagements between the bat- 
tleships of the British and American vessels. An- 
other important one was Commodore Perry's vic- 
tory on Lake Erie. The English had six vessels on 
this lake and believed that they controlled Lake 
Erie. Indeed, England styled herself the ' ' Mistress 
of the Sea." 

The task of building a squadron to fight the En- 
glish on Lake Erie was assigned to Commodore 
Perry, then a young man only twenty- seven years 
of age. He had never seen a naval battle but he 
had faith in himself and in the men who were to 
help him. Day after day they worked getting 
ready the vessels that were to engage with the 
English. At last they were ready to float their 
ships over the bar. At sunrise he saw the enemy 
approaching. Perry understood sailing and he 
managed to advance with his shi]3S at an acute 
angle. The British guns were so superior to his 
that defeat seemed certain. His flagship, the 
Lawrence, was badly injured. When Perry saw 
that it could no longer be used, he took his flag and 
ordered his rowers to take him over to the Niagara, 
the ship next in size to the Lawrence. With his 



254 History of rut United States 

flag floating over liim, he stood in the stern of the 
little boat, while every British ship aimed its guns 
at him. The heroism of that fifteen minutes will 
never be forgotten by loyal Americans. Flag in 
hand, he climbed onto the Niagara. Then came a 
turn in the battle for he steered straight for the 
enemy's line. The next short eight minutes decided 
the fate of the battle. The once proud British fleet 
was only a wreck. One after another, the ves- 
sels ran up the white flag. The Lawrence was still 
afloat and Perry returned to it to receive the sur- 
render of the British commander. 

When it was over, he took an old letter from his 
pocket, and using the top of his navy cap as a writ- 
ing desk, he wrote these words, ^^We have met the 
enemy, and they are ours." He addressed his mes- 
sage to General Harrison and went about his duties 
never dreaming that his nine short words would 
become a part of our nation's history. 

In order to draw the Americans from their at- 
tacks on Canada, the English decided to attack the 
cities that could be reached by water. Washington, 
the capital, was selected for the first attack. The 
British landed their troops f ort,y miles southeast of 
Washington. They met with little opposition in 
their advance. At eight o'clock that same evening 
they advanced upon the capital. The most valuable 
records had been removed from the city. Mrs. 
Madison had carried to a place of safety, the orig- 



Expansion 255 

inal draft of the Declaration of Independence and 
a portrait of Washington that hung in the White 
House. Tlie British burned all of the public build- 
ings except the one which contained the patent office 
and the j)ost-office. This was spared because it 
held so many models and papers that were valuable 
to all the world. 

It was not long until the British attempted to 
destroy Baltimore as they had done Washington. 
Forty British war vessels a|)peared near this city. 
They did not find the city unprej^ared. The people 
had expected that an attack would be made and had 
thrown up embankments. Fort Henry bore the 
heavy part of the attack. The bombardment of 
this fort gave us one of our national songs. Fran- 
cis Scott Key, under a flag of truce, had gone out in 
a row boat to ask for the parole of a friend who 
had been taken a prisoner. The British admiral 
detained him. With his little boat fastened to the 
side of the admiral's flag- ship, he sat and watched 
the bombardment. When the second morning 
dawned and he saw by the rockets red glare that 
the flag was still there, he took an old letter out of 
his pocket and wrote on the back of it, ^ ' The Star 
Spangled Banner." So well had our brave men 
defended the fort that the British were forced to 
give up the attack on Baltimore. 

All this time war had been raging on both land 
and sea. England had decided to bring it to a 



356 History of the: United Statks 

close. There was at that time no Atlantic cable 
and while the good news of the treaty of peace was 
being brought to us in a vessel there occurred at 
New Orleans one of the hardest fought battles of 
the entire war. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Explain how the war at first seemed to center about the 
Great Lakes. 

Why did England plan to attack our sea coast cities? 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
Memorize a stanza of the "Star Spangled Banner." 



Expansion 



257 



ANDREW JACKSON 

A Hero in the Last Battle of the War of 1812 

We think of Andrew Jackson as a great military 
leader and then as president of our United States. 
Before he was either a military hero or president, 
he was a little boy who grew 
a little every day. Every day 
he was developing the traits 
of character that helped to 
make him the great hero. 

His parents came from Ire- 
land to Charleston at the 
time when there was great 
excitement about the Stamp 
Act. They had known much 
about oppression in their old 
home land and they natu- 
rally resented any form of 
tyranny. 

When Andrew Jackson 
was nine years of age, he 
heard some men talking 
of a ^^Declaration of Inde- 
pendence.'' He did not ex- 
actly understand what a 
Declaration of Independence meant; but as he 
watched men fashion old saws into swords and melt 




ANDREW JACKSON 



358 History of the United States 

pewter mugs for bullets lie realized that it meant 
resistance to oppression. 

The British finally raided the settlement on 
Waxhaw creek, where he lived. Both Andrew and 
an older brother were taken prisoners of war. One 
day a haughty officer ordered Andrew to clean his 
boots. The Scotch-Irish blood in this lad of four- 
teen years recoiled at such a request. Quick as a 
flash came the response : ^ ' Sir, I am a prisoner of 
war, not a servant. Clean them yourself. The 
officer struck him with his sw^ord. It was a cruel 
blow and Andrew carried the scar through the 
many years of his busy life. 

There was by that act an impression made that 
sank deep into the life of the boy. He had felt the 
hand of the oppressor. Many years passed and 
the boy became a man. He grew in influence and 
power. He was a lawyer, member of congress, 
farmer, senator and judge. In every position in 
life he was respected and he was honest. 

He had already proven himself a leader and 
when the war with England broke out in 1812, he 
was made commander of the forces of the United 
States in the southwest. The Spaniards in Florida, 
for Florida still belonged to Spain, sympathized 
with the British. Jackson told the Spaniards that 
they should not take sides with either Great Britain 
or the United States, but should remain neutral. 
When he found that they would not listen to his 



Expansion 259 

advice, he forced the British, who were in Florida, 
to leave that part of the country. 

While he was engaged in this work, he learned 
that the British were planning to attack New 
Orleans. They were so confident of success 
that the British admiral said, ^^I shall eat my 
Christmas dinner in New Orleans". When Gen- 
eral Jackson heard of the remark, he said, ^^ Per- 
haps so, but I shall have the honor of presiding at 
that dinner." 

Jackson put everyone to work getting ready to 
resist an attack from the great English army. Hun- 
dreds of men were set to work digging ditches and 
throwing up earthworks for protection. One rich 
cotton owner asked Jackson to appoint a guard for 
his cotton. ^ ^ Certainly, " said Jackson. '^Here, 
sergeant, give this gentleman a musket and ammu- 
nition. No one is better qualified to guard cotton 
than the man who owns it. ' ' 

Their work was done none too quickly, for on the 
eighth of January, 1815, the great army of the 
king of England began the attack. General Jack- 
son seemed to be everywhere at the same time. He 
encouraged his men. ^^ Stand to your guns," he 
shouted to some. To others he cried, ^^See that 
every shot tells." In less than half an hour the 
battle was won. Andrew Jackson had kept the 
British from entering the Mississippi Valley. His 
name was on everyone's lips. Congress gave him a 



260 History op* the: United States 

vote of thanks and ordered that a gold medal be 
given him for his bravery. 

Scarcely had the excitement about the victory at 
New Orleans died away, when the news came that 
peace had already been declared. Nothing was said 
in the terms of the treaty about the wrongs done to 
our commerce or to the rights of our seamen. It was 
well understood that our citizens and our property 
would be both respected and protected by the gov- 
ernment of Great Britain. It has now been almost 
a hundred years since that treaty was signed and 
we have had no cause to complain of our English 
brothers. 

SUGGESTIONS- 

Name some of the elements of Jackson's character that 
helped him to succeed. 

Compare the life of Andrew Jackson with that of Thomas 
Jefferson. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The battle of New Orleans was fought after the treaty of 
peace was signed. 



Expansion 



261 



ELI WHITNEY 

The Inventor of the Cotton Gin 

The period of one hundred years following the 
Revolutionary war might well be called the age of 
inventions. Many of the great inventions that have 
helped in the development of our country, were 
made during that tune. 
First of all in this list 
is the cotton-gin, by Eli 
Whitney in 1793. He was 
at that time a young man, 
who had just graduated 
at Yale College. He had 
gone to Georgia to open 
a private school, but 
when he reached there he 
found the place had been filled by another. Through 
the kindness of a Mrs. Green, who had become 
interested in him, he met a number of Georgia 
planters. They believed that their country was 
well suited for raising cotton, but the process 
of taking the seeds out by hand was so slow that 
it could never be a profitable crop. One person 
could separate only a pound of cotton in a day 
and it would be worth only a few cents. Surely 
here was need for a machine which would do the 
work more quickly. Young Whitney had never 




ELI WHITNEY 



262 History of the: United States 

^een a cotton plant, but lie now visited the fields 
and Avatclied the pickers, as they separated the 
seeds from the white, fluffy bolls. He himself 
picked out the seeds, and, measuring them, noticed 
how they clung to the beautiful, white fibre. He 
had always loved to work with machinery, and 
when a boy had improved many pieces of farm 
machinery. Here was an opportunity to use in 
a practical way the knowledge he had. It was 
not long before he was at work on a machine to 
separate the seeds from the cotton boll. It was 
a slow process, for he had to make every thing that 
he wanted to use, even the iron bars and circular 
saws. His penetrating mind saw the real need. 
He planned a machine having a network of wires 
through which the cotton, but not the seeds, would 
pass. A set of sharp-toothed circular saws were to 
turn round and round just under the wires and 
catch the cotton fibre and pull it through the wires, 
while the seeds would slide down out of the way. 
A revolving brush was to keep the saws clean, so 
that they could catch more cotton. 

Before he had his model completed, it became 
known that he was at work on it and everybody 
wanted to see it. He did not want to show it until 
he had completed it and had secured his patent 
for it. One night someone broke into his shop and 
took his model. Before he could make another, 
machines similar to his were being used through- 
out the south. Those were trying days for the 



Expansion 263 

young inventor. He did not have money to prose- 
cute those who were profiting by his invention. A 
few years later Soutli Carolina voted him fifty 
thousand dollars as a reward for his invention. 
This helped to relieve his distress, but much of this 
had to go to settle old disputes. He turned his 
inventive genius to fire-arms for the government, 
and succeeded so well in making new improvements 
that he soon had a comfortable living. Although 
Whitney lost the income which was justly due him, 
yet he received the honor for the invention which 
did so much to develop the agricultural interests 
of the southern states. 

SUGGESTIONS 

What is an invention? 
Why is EH Wliitney called an inventor? 
Explain the principle of the cotton-gin. 
Difficult words — profitable, network, prosecute, distress, 
dispute. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Children's Stories of American Progress. — (JVright,) 
SO^IETHING TO REMEMBER 

The cotton-gin helped to develop agriculture in the southern 
states. 



264 History of thk Uniti:d States 



ROBERT FULTON 

Inventor of the Steamship 

The same year in which Eli Whitney was born 
in Massachusetts, Robert Fulton was born in Penn- 
sylvania. He, also, was a child of inventive genius. 
His first inventions were a mill for sawing marble, 

£a machine for spinning 
flax, and a torpedo to be 
used in war for destroying 
the enemy's vessels. Other 
men had been trying to use 
steam to propel their boats, 
but Fulton was the first to 
succeed with the plan. In 
August, 1807, when he 
was about to start his 
Clermont on its trial trip 
from New York City to Al- 
ROBERT FULTON bauy, grcat numbers of 

people gathered to see the strange vessel. The 
wheels began to turn, and the crowd, which was 
prepared either to cheer or jeer, broke forth in the 
wildest shouts of enthusiasm. The city of Albany, 
one hundred and fifty miles away, was reached in 
thirty-two hours. 

The use of steam in navigation was now a reality. 
Many improvements were needed, but the principal 
had been proven. A few years later congress voted 



Expansion 



265 



three hundred and twenty thousand dollars with 
which Fulton was to build a steamship of war. The 
next year it was completed, but Fulton was too ill 
to see the launching of the ship. He did not live to 
see it tried in war, but even before his death, steam- 
boats were used on many of our rivers. He had 
done much to develop our country by making it 
j)ossible to carry the products of the interior of the 
country to the seacoast. 




THE CLERMONT 

SUGGESTIONS 



Why did congress help Fulton? 

What is a torpedo? 

Difficult words — enthusiasm, navigate, launch. 



SOMETHING TO READ 
Children's Stories of American Progress. — (Wright,) 

SOAIETHING TO REMEMBER 

Steamboats have helped to carry the products of the interior 
to the seacoast. 



266 



History of the United States 



fs^-fP- 



SAMUEL F. B. MORSE 
Inventor of the Blectric Telegraph 

Long ago there were people living in Greece who 
believed that amber possessed a strange power. 
They called it electron, for that is the Greek word 
for amber. Later the word, changed from electron 

to electricity, was applied 
/ \ to the same force. It 

was then found that many 
other substances possessed 
the same power to attract, 
but the name remained un- 
changed. 

Many people experi- 
mented with this force, but 
it remained for an Ameri- 
can painter to show how 
it could be used to send 
messages. Man has used 
many devices to convey his thought from one per- 
son to another. The skins of animals, birch bark, 
the homing pigeons, and written and printed paper 
have all been used either to preserve or transmit 
man's messages. Samuel F. B. Morse was the first 
man to employ the electric current to carry his 
message. He was on board the ship Sully, return- 
ing from Europe, when the idea was first presented 




SAMUEL F. B. MORSE 



Expansion 267 

to him and before lie reached NeAV York he had 
worked out his plan for an electric telegraph. His 
alphabet of signs was practically the same as the 
one now in use. 

His painter's brush was now put aside to spend 
his time in developing his plan for transmitting 
messages. He had made experiments with elec- 
tricity, but they had been for mere pastime. Now 
he was putting into it the best work of his life. 
It was a difficult undertaking; how difficult he 
did not at first realize. Again and again his experi- 
ments failed. When his instruments would not 
work, he studied them until he understood the cause 
of the failure. 

The little money which he had saved was soon 
spent and he again was forced to paint to support 
his family. He never lost faith in himself, which 
is one of the elements of success. After three years 
of struggle, he was able to send a signal on a wire, 
that he had circled about his room, but he could not 
get it back again. Two more years passed before 
he was able to have a duplicate instrument made 
to use at the other end of the wire. When this 
was done he could both send and receive signals. 
In 1837 he demonstrated what he could do and 
large audiences marveled at his success, but it was 
not complete, for this was only an experiment, and 
and he had, as yet, not proven that it would be 
useful. He appealed to congress to help him, but 
was refused. Then he Avent to England, but the 



268 History oi? the United States 

people there were not interested. Some said that 
news already traveled fast enough, and others 
thought that it would do harm rather than good. 

Samuel Morse was not moved by the words of 
these people. His courage never failed him. He 
again petitioned congress and would have again 
met failure if he had not been experimenting with 
the ^^new-fangled invention" in the very building 
in which congress was assembled. He had strung 
wire from the basement to the ante-room of the 
senate chamber. When the question of whether 
he was to receive aid, was with the committee, one 
of the members stepped to the little room and both 
sent and received messages from Morse in the 
basement. He was convinced and gave his vote for 
the assistance of Morse. In the closing hour of 
congress they voted him thirty thousand dollars 
to build a line from Washington City to Baltimore. 

The next morning a young lady, who was the 
daughter of the commissioner of patents, met him 
at the breakfast table. She congratulated him 
upon the passage of his bill. He was quite over- 
come when she told him that he was now to have 
money to carry out his plans. He promised her 
that she should word the first message to be sent 
over the wire. Eleven and one-half years had 
passed since he first began to plan on the ocean 
voyage, but now success seemed very near. 

He spent a large part of his money trying to 
put the wire underground, but he did not succeed. 



Expansion 269 

At last lie adopted the plan of stringing the wires 
on poles with glass insulators to keep the current 
away from the wood. M^hen all was ready, he sent 
word to the young lady, whom he had said should 
send the first message. After consulting Avitli her 
mother, she sent these words, ''What hath God 
wrought^" It Avas not long until even the remote 
countries were in communication with the great, 
active world. The practical use of the telegraph 
put to route all fear that the territory of our United 
States was too large. Some had said that we never 
could become a powerful nation because the extent 
of territory was too great. By the use of the tele- 
graph, the states to be carved out of the great 
northwest were brought within reach of any part 
of the country. It only remained to tie the two 
great continents together, which was done in 1866 
by the Atlantic cable, and to band together the 
East and the West, the North and the South, which 
was done by rails of iron. The Pacific . railroad, 
which came three years after the Atlantic cable, 
was only a forerunner of the network of roads that 
now bind together all parts of our country. Both 
steam and electricity have become the servants of 
man, but we are only beginning to know their pos- 
sibilities and their power. 



270 History of the: Unitkd States 

SUGGESTIONS 

What are some of the uses of electricity? 

Write or tell about the most useful invention of which you 
know. 

Draw a picture illustrating how the telegraph operates. 

Difficult words — electric, experiment, demonstrate, congratu- 
late, practical. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Children's Stories of American Progress. — {Wright.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

''That steed called 'Lightning' (say the Fates) 
Is owned by the United States : 
'Twas Franklin's hand that caught the horse; 
'Twas harnessed by Professor Morse." 



Expansion 271 



REMEMBER THE ALAMO 
Texas Became an Independent Republic 

The soutliwestern boundary of the United States 
has not always been so well defined as it now is. 
Long before we purchased Louisiana from France 
there was trouble between France and Spain about 
this territory. In order to establish her clami 
Spain built a number of missionary fortresses or 
churches between the Sabine and Rio Grande 
rivers. These old fortress-churches are now in 
ruins, but there is one of them that is especially 
important, for it stands as a monument of heroic 
deeds. 

More than two hundred years ago the chapel 
of Alamo was built. The name means cottonwood, 
doubtless taken from the name of the trees which 
grew along the river. The mission was first estab- 
lished in 1700 on the Eio Grande, and was moved 
to San Antonio in 1718, and to its present location 
in 174:4. After Mexico gained her independence 
from Spain, she wanted to hold this territory 
between the rivers, but she was not anxious to send 
settlers. She gave permission to the American set- 
tlers to occupy the land. A man by the name of 
Austin brought a band of settlers from Connecti- 
cut, and in the early years of the nineteenth cen- 
tury many people from Tennessee, Kentucky, Mis- 



272 



History of the: United States 



sissippi and other states went to make their homes 
on the broad acres of Texas. Santa Anna, the 
president of Mexico, was afraid to allow too many 
privileges to these settlei^s, for he remembered that 
they were Americans and were filled with the spirit 
of liberty. He issued an order that they should 




THE ALAMO 



surrender all arms. The people of Texas adopted 
the motto : ' ' War in defense of our rights. ' ' Sam 
Houston was made commander-in-chief of the 
army of Texas. He succeeded in capturing San 
Antonio and then the Mexicans determined to 
conquer the Texans. In 1836 Santa Anna came 
into San Antonio with an armv of four thousand 



Expansion 273 

men. Within the Alamo were one hundred and 
f orty-flve brave men of Texas. Colonel Travis was 
the commander of the little band. Daily they had 
expected an army to come to their relief, but when 
help came there were only thirty-two men to share 
their fate with them. Santa Anna demanded the 
surrender of the fort, but these brave men pre- 
ferred to meet death bravely defending themselves 
than at the hand of their enemy. For ten days and 
nights the firing continued, until there was not one 
of the brave band left. 

Santa Anna was jubilant over his victory, and 
turned to follow General Houston, who allowed 
him to pursue until it was impossible for Santa 
Anna to receive either help or new supplies. At 
San Jacinto, while Santa Anna slept, General 
Houston slipped around him and cut off his retreat. 

The place was enclosed by marshes, and when the 
Texan army had crossed the bridge, they cut it 
down, thus destroying the only chance of escape. 
^^Eemember the Alamo!" shouted the brave Tex- 
ans as they dashed upon the army of Mexico. The 
surprise was complete, and as there was no way 
of escape, the entire army was either captured or 
slain. Santa Anna was taken captive the next 
day. Fearful lest he might meet the fate that he 
had meted out to the brave men in the Alamo, he 
was willing to recognize the independence of Texas 
and to take all of the Mexican troops from its 
territory. 



274 



History of the: Unitkd States 



For ten years Texas held her place as one of 
the republics of the world. Then she sought admis- 
sion as one of the states of the United States. On 
the fourth day of July, 1845, the union was accom- 
plished, and, as soon as confirmed by congress, the 
**Lone Star'' state became one in the sisterhood of 
states. 



e:m^ 




ANNEXATION OF TEXAS 

SUGGESTIONS 

Tell the story of the Alamo. 

How did Texas become one of the states of the United 
States? 

What important events have occurred on the fourth day 
of July? 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Stories of the Northwest. — (Century.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
Texas is the largest state in the United States. 



Expansion 275 

WAR WITH MEXICO 
Our Southern Boundary Became Well Defined 

As soon as Texas became one of the United 
States, General Taylor was sent with an army to 
the Rio Grande to defend the boundary. Mexican 
troops were immediately sent to the Eio Grande, 
and took up their position on the opposite bank of 
the river. The Mexican general sent an order to 
General Taylor to retire within twenty-four hours. 
This, General Taylor refused to do. It is not pos- 
sible for two opposing armies to encamp near each 
other without a show of hostilities. The final break 
came when a company of Taylor's army was 
attacked by a body of Mexican troops, that had 
crossed the Eio Grande into the disputed territory 
This was the beginning of the war, for sixteen 
of the American soldiers were either killed or 
wounded and the remainder were compelled to 
surrender. 

General Taylor withdrew to Point Isabel to 
strengthen his position. The Mexicans were exult- 
ant, because they thought that he Americans 
were hurrying to get out of the territory that they 
claimed. They little understood the spirit of the 
men who marched under the stars and stripes. 



376 



History o^ thk United Statks 



When James K. Polk, who was then president of 
the United States, heard what had been done, he 
issued a message in which he said: ^^War exists 
and notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, 
exists by the act of Mexico herself. ' ' It has always 
been characteristic of the American people never to 
do anything in a half-hearted way and if our boun- 
dary must be defended, it must be done in the 
spirit of true Americanism. As in the war of the 
revolution, someone was needed as commander-in- 
chief. This responsible position was given to Win- 
field Scott. The great army was divided into three 
parts, and to each part was assigned a definite 
work. To General Kearney was given the com- 
mand of the army of the 
west. He was instructed 
to cross the Rocky Moun- 
tains and to take posses- 
sion of all of the Mexican 
territory in the n o r t h 
and west. To General 
Scott himself was given the 
Army of the Center. He 
was to go into the very 
heart of Mexico and sub- 
due it. The third part of 
the army was given to 
General Taylor, who was 
to conquer and hold the territory on the Rio 
Grande. How well each army did its work is shown 




WINFIELD SCOTT 



Expansion 277 

by the well-established boundary line between the 
United States and Mexico. 

General Kearney set out from Fort Leaven- 
worth, which is noAV a military fort in Kansas. He 
had under his command one thousand troops. He 
went toward the southwest until he reached the 
Arkansas river. As was customary in the pioneer 
days, he followed the river and came to Santa Fe, 
after a march of nine hundred miles. This was 
the outpost of New Mexico, and it surrendered to 
him. He arranged for the government of this place, 
and then hastened to the southwest. After cross- 
ing the mountains, he was joined by the famous 
scout. Kit Carson. He explained to him the condi- 
tion of a if airs in the west and north. He told him 
how John Charles Freemont had been making 
explorations throughout the Rocky Mountain 
region and that he had planted the flag of our 
country on the highest peak of that mighty range. 
He told him also how this man had passed through 
the region of the Great Salt Lake and then on to 
Oregon. He said he turned southward into Cali- 
fornia. It was there that he learned of the war 
with Mexico. He realized how feeble was the 
attaclmient of the people of this section of the 
country to Mexico. He had no way of getting 
into communication with the president or with Gen- 
eral Scott, who was commander-in-chief, so he did 
what he believed was the most loyal thing to do. 
You will remember that now, as in the revolution, 



378 History of the: United States 

every citizen of the United States was doing what 
he could for his country. Fremont's opportunity 
was exceptional, and he had improved it well. He 
had gathered around him the frontiersmen of the 
Sacramento valley and with their assistance he had 
overthrown the authority of Mexico in the upper 
and central parts of California. 

Carson also told Kearney how Commodore 
Stockton had captured San Diego and had taken 
command of the Pacific squadron. General Kear- 
ney then decided to send the greater part of his 
army back to rejoin General Taylor, while he 
started on with a small band for San Diego. 

General Taylor had confined his work to the 
neighborhood of the contested boundary. He had 
been successful wherever he had gone and had put 
the Mexican army to rout wherever he had met it. 
The severest test came at Buena Vista. The greater 
part of his army had been sent to aid General 
Scott. News of this reached Santa Anna and he 
marched to attack him with twenty thousand 
picked troops of Mexico. Taylor had placed his 
army on a high plain, which was protected by deep 
ravines. It was in 1847 on the anniversary of Wash- 
ington 's birthday, February 22. The day before the 
principal battle, a Mexican officer came with a mes- 
sage from Santa Anna, and found General Taylor 
sitting on his white horse with his leg thrown over 
the pommel of his saddle. The officer inquired of 
him: ^'What are you waiting for?'' He replied: 



Expansion 



279 



^'For Santa Anna to surrender/' When the offi- 
cer returned, Santa Anna began firing on General 
Taylor's position. It was suggested to one of his 
officers, that, if General Taylor surrendered he 
would be protected. To this came the quick 
and ready answer: ^^ General Taylor never sur- 
renders. ' ' 




SCOTT IN THE CITY OF MEXICO 



All day long the battle raged and under the cover 
of night the Mexican forces withdrew. General 
Taylor's work was done, and he soon retired. It 
now only remained for General Scott to invade 
Mexico and take the capital, which he did in Sep- 
tember 14, 1817. On that day the stars and stripes 



280 History of the: United State:s 

floated over the Grand Plaza and the troops 
of the United States walked the streets of a 
foreign capital. Hundreds of Mexicans gazed 
anxiously at the soldiers who had toiled two hun- 
dred miles up the rocky road and had forced their 
way into the city. Flags of various nations were 
flung to the breeze asking for protection. 

General Scott was careful to protect the lives and 
property of those who remained in the capital. 
Santa Anna had fled from the seat of government 
and could no longer oiDpose our army. A treaty 
was arranged between the two nations, which pro- 
vided that the Rio Grande, from its mouth to the 
southern limit of New Mexico, should mark the 
boundary line between the United States and 
Mexico. The United States also secured nearly all 
the territory that is now included in the states of 
New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and 
Utah. Mexico was to have returned to her all of 
the towns in Mexico which our army had captured, 
and our government agreed to give her the sum of 
fifteen million dollars. In 1848, on the fourth 
day of July, that memorable date in our history. 
President Polk issued the proclamation of peace. 
There was still a little uncertainty about the boun- 
dary of the land lying near the Gila river. Six 
years later General Gadsden was sent to arrange 
the exact boundary. We then gave Mexico ten 
million dollars for a small tract south of the 



Expansion 



281 



Gila river. This seemed a large sum to pay for so 
little territory, but it was wise to satisfy Mexico 
thoroughly and to fix permanently the boundary 
line beween the two republics. 

Sixty-four years after that proclamation of 
peace, two states, Arizona and New Mexico, carved 
out of the acquired territory, were admitted to the 
sisterhood of states. All other j)arts of the terri- 
tory had been admitted previous to this time. On 
July 4, 1912, the United States flag with forty-eight 
stars was floated for the first time. 




THE NEWLY ACQUIRED TERRITORY 



282 History of the: United State:s 

SUGGESTIONS 

Locate on your map the Rio Grande and Neuces rivers, 
also Fort Leavenworth, Santa Fe, San Diego, Buena Vista, 
Mexico City. 

Difficult words — exultant, characteristic, attachment, squad- 
ron, surrender. , 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Century Book of Famous Americans. — {Brooks.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
There are now forty-eight states in our United States. 



CIVIL STRIFE 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

"New Birth of Our New Soil; the first American.'' 

— Lowell. 

Nature fitted Abraham Lincoln to take his place 
as a leader among men. He was tall, and the 
strength of the forest, in which he lived, was in his 
sturdy frame. He was born in Kentucky in 1809, 
a few years after the pur- 
chase of the great northwest 
territory. The call to the 
west kept luring his father 
farther and farther into the 
unpeopled wilderness. His 
father, who had had no 
school days, planned for 
none for his children. When 

-^ . Till . ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Lincoln was a little boy nine 

years of age, his mother died. He felt keenly her 
loss and mourned because there was no one to 
preach her funeral sermon. He wrote a minister 
who used to travel through their country as he made 
the round of his appointments. Several months 




284 History of the: Unite:d State:s 

later this minister came and s|)oke words of com- 
fort above lier grave. 

In a short time liis fatlier again married and the 
new motlier became fond of Abe, as slie nsed to call 
him. She encouraged him to make the most of 
himself. He loved to read and she made it a rule 
never to disturb him while he was reading. Writ- 
ing paper was hardly to be had in that backwoods 
country, and Abe used to write on shingles with 
charcoal the things he wanted to remember. In his 
shingle scrap album he had his choice poems, funny 
stories, and historical facts. On one of these 
shingles may still be read these lines, written in a 
boyish scrawl : 

"Abraham Lincoln, 
his hand and pen ; 
he will be good, but 
God knows when." 

What his hand and pen was to do, no one at the 
time even dreamed, but the years to come were to 
unfold the secret. 

One day Abraham learned that a man for whom 
he sometimes worked, owned a copy of the then 
famous book, Weem 's ^ ^ Life of Washington ' \ He 
borrowed it and one night, after he had finished 
reading, he tucked it in a crack between the logs. 
He was awakened by the patter of rain and found 
the much-prized book badly damaged. The owner 
offered to let him keep the book if he would 



Civil Strife 285 

pull enough fodder to feed his cattle for three days. 
This, Lincoln gladly promised to do, and thus was 
purchased the first volume of his library. 

His first glimpse of life, other than that of the 
backwoods people, came when he was nineteen years 
of age. He made a trip to New Orleans on a flat- 
boat. When he was almost twenty-one years of 
age, his father again moved w^estward. This time 
he settled in Illinois. He helped his father split 
the rails to fence a part of the farm. By this time 
the young man had become of age, and he felt that 
he must do something for himself. 

Lincoln keenly felt the need of a better educa- 
tion. He had improved every opportunity, but his 
actual school-days had been few and his teachers 
had been trained chiefly in the use of the rod. Had 
Lincoln been other than he was, he would never 
have developed the character that he did. His per- 
severence, honesty, and desire for greater knowl- 
edge acted as a spur to urge him on to greater 
things. 

He was anxious to study English grammar 
and a village school-master told him of a man six 
miles away who owned one. Lincoln hurried away 
to borrow the book and returned before the teacher 
thought it possible. At that time he was clerking 
in a small store. He studied this book so thoroughly 
that he mastered the principles of language. 



286 History of thi: United States 

He found a set of law books, Blackstone's ^^Com- 
mentaries/' in the bottom of a barrel which he had 
purchased. Here again was food for his active 
brain. He read them and thought about them a 
great deal. He helped his neighbors by drawing 
notes, deeds, contracts, and other legal papers. 
This was the beginning of his legal career. His 
success as a lawyer was due to his honesty. He 
became known as ^^ Honest Abe," because he would 
not plead a cause that he believed to be in the wrong. 

His study and practice of law opened a new life 
of activity for him. He had become acquainted 
with many people in his state. They had learned 
to know and vmderstand his broad and sympathetic 
nature. No man was too poor for Lincoln to plead 
his case if he believed the cause was right. He 
once went out of his way to put some young birds 
back in their nest. At another time when going to 
try a case, he stopped to hel^:) a pig out of the mire. 
At first he passed it, thinking that he cared neither 
to spare the time nor to soil his clothes, but the 
distress of the animal haunted him and he turned 
back and lifted the unfortunate pig to a secure 
footing. 

Such noble qualities of character could not be 
overlooked and the people of his state twice elected 
him to serve in the Illinois legislature. In 1842 
he married Mary Todd and they lived at Spring- 
field until he was called by the people in 1860 to 
become the sixteenth president of the United 



Civil Strifk 387 

States. Never before had there been such a trying 
time in the history of our country. 

The thirteen original states liad now increased 
to tliirty-tliree. There was no longer any fear of 
English authority, and the industries and interests 
of the states had become widely different. The con- 
stitution, which had been adopted a little over sev- 



fc 




LINCOLN'S HOME AT SPRINGFIELD 

enty years before, was not understood by all of 
the states to have the same meaning. Some of the 
people believed that once a state became one of 
the United States it could not withdraw without 
the consent of the United States. Others believed 
that any state could withdraw from the union when 
the people of that state so desired. A few months 
after the election of Lincoln as president of the 



288 



History of the: Unite:d Statks 



United States, seven of the states in the south did 
declare that they were no longer a part of the 
United States and formed a new government, 
which they called the ^^Confederate States of 
America''. A little later four other states joined 
this confederacy, making in all eleven states, almost 

as many as there were 
in the thirteen origi- 
nal states. There were 
many things which led 
to the estrangement of 
these sister states, but, 
perhaps, the most im- 
portant was the differ- 
ent systems of labor in 
the North and in the 
South. 

In the early years 
of our history slaves 
■ were owned in all of 
the states, but as time 
passed they were not found in any considerable 
numbers except in the southern states, where cot- 
ton was the principal crop grown. Thus the great 
question of the day came to be an issue between the 
North and the South. 

The new president believed that there should be 
some way found to settle the perplexing question 
without arms. In his inaugural address, which at 




LINCOLN AT HOME 



Civil Strii^e: 289 

that time was eagerly read, he said: ^^Let us at 
all times remember that all American citizens are 
brothers of a common country, and should dwell 
together in the bonds of fraternal feeling. ' ' A little 
over a month after Lincoln had so faithfully prom- 
ised to preserve, protect and defend the govern- 
ment, the first gun of the great civil conflict was 
fired. Reinforcements were being sent to Fort 
Sumter, a military fort of the United States, in 
the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Before 
they arrived, the fort was fired upon by the newly 
organized confederacy, and after a bombardment 
of thirty-four hovirs Major Anderson was forced 
to surrender. This was the beginning of that 
dreadful struggle which lasted four years. 

It would be a long story to tell how the brave 
men of the South and of the North fought and 
contended for the principles, which they believed 
both just and right. ^^ With malice toward none and 
charity for all," President Lincoln had followed 
the path of duty as he saw it. Emerson said of him, 
^^He was a man who grew according to his need; 
his mind mastered the problem of the day, 
and as the problem grew so did his apprehension 
of it. By his courage, his justice, his even temper, 
his fertile counsel, his humanity, he stood a heroic 
figure in the center of a heroic epoch. ' ' 

Never in the history of our country, had so many 
thrilling events taken place in so short a time, as 
occured during the first fifteen days of the month 



290 History of the: United States 

of April in 1865. On Palm Sunday, April 9th, 
the two greatest generals of modern times, Robert 
E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army of 
Northern Virginia, and Ulysses S. Grant, com- 
mander of the Federal Army, met each other in the 
parlor of William McLean, at Appomattox Conrt 
House, and arranged for the surrender of Lee's 
army. This was virtually the end of the war. The 
roar of the shot and shell had scarcely died away, 
when a shot from the hand of an assassin brought 
grief to the nation. On the evening of April the 
14th, while President Lincoln was sitting beside 
Mrs. Lincoln in a box at Ford's theater, the deadly 
aim was taken and the heart of Abraham Lincoln 
was forever stilled. He was laid to rest in the old 
Oak Ridge cemetery at Springfield. Thousands of 
people came, by night and by day, to look upon the 
face of our martyred president. Representatives 
of the army, the navy, and all departments of 
the government, together with men and women 
from all walks of life, mingled their tears at his 
grave. 

^^ Chief tian, farewell! The nation mourns thee. 
Mothers shall teach thy name to their lisping child- 
ren. The youth of our land shall emulate thy vir- 
tues. Statesmen shall study thy record and learn 
lessons of wisdom." 



Civil Strife: 391 



SUGGESTIONS 



Write your own story of Abraham Lincoln. 
Difficult words — perseverance, perplexing, fraternal, martyr, 
emulate. 

SOMETHING TO READ 

Abraham Lincoln. — (Brooks.) 

The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln. — (Nicolay.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Abraham Lincoln believed that w^e should live "with malice 
toward none and with charity for all." 



292 



History of the: United States 



ROBERT E. LEE 
He Led the "Boys in Gray" 

In these far away days, we scarce know the mean- 
ing of the terms, ^^Boys in Blue,'' and ^^Boys in 
Gray.'' They are poetic expressions for very 
prosaic facts. ^^Boys in Blue" refers to the men 
belonging to the Union or Federal army of the 
United States, while the ^^Boys in Gray" applies to 
the soldiers of the army of 
the Southern Confederacy. 
The soldiers of the Union 
army were dressed in blue 
and the rank of officers 
was indicated by epaulets 
on the shoulders. The 
soldiers of the Confederate 
army were dressed in gray 
and the rank of officers 
was shown by either stars 
or bars on the collar of the 
coat. 

Robert E. Lee was one 
of the generals who led 
the ' ' Boys in Gray. ' ' He was born and brought up 
in Virginia, that state which has been called the 
mother of presidents. He was reared in the same 
atmosphere . in which Washington lived. His 




ROBERT E. LEE 



Civil Strifj; 293 

father was General Henry Lee, whose brave and 
daring deeds in the Eevolutionary War won for 
him the title of ^^ Light Horse Harry." His boy- 
hood days were spent in Alexandria. His fathel 
had been anxious that he should have opportunities 
for thorough training and education. At his 
father's death, he became the comfort and support 
of an invalid mother. 

At eighteen years of age he received an appoint- 
ment to West Point and four years later he gradu- 
ated, receiving the second highest honors of his 
class. For many years he served in the engineer 
corps of the regular army. He married Mary Ran- 
dolph Curtis, the daughter of Washington's adopt- 
ed son. They made their home at Arlington on the 
Potomac. This had been the childhood home of 
Mrs. Lee, and on the death of her father it was 
inherited by her. The grounds are now used as 
a national cemetery, where rest many brave sol- 
diers of the Civil War. 

Lee 's military training led him into the war with 
Mexico, where he showed himself a brave soldier. 
His letters written while in Mexico show his affec- 
tion for his family, his love of home, and his attach- 
ment for family pets. 

A few years after his return from Mexico he was 
appointed superintendent of the West Point Acad- 
emy. His son attended the academy while he was 
in charge. 



294 History o^ rut United States 

Events leading toward a civil war were fast oc- 
curing, and Lee realized that he must make a 
choice between the two flags. His experience in 
the Mexican War, combined with his ability and 
military training, fitted him for leadership. Pres- 
ident Lincoln recognized his peculiar fitness and 
offered him the command of the armies of the 
United States. He could not accept the offer for he 
said: ^^With all my devotion to the Union, and the 
feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, 
I have not been able to make up my mind to raise 
my hand against my relatives, my children, my 
home.'' He resigned his commission in the army 
and hoped to remain a private citizen and to use 
his influence to prevent the war which was threat- 
ening. He could not long remain neutral, and at 
last he took command of the Army of Virginia, as 
the Confederate forces, which defended Richmond, 
were called. From that time until the close of the 
war, he was one of the leading generals of the Con- 
federate army. 

When he surrendered his army to General Grant, 
he mounted his gray horse, ''Traveler,'' and re- 
turned to his home and family. He was oifered 
many positions of influence, but he preferred to 
accept the presidency of Washington College at 
Lexington, Virginia. The name was afterward 
changed to Washington and Lee University. He 
preferred this work because, he said: ''I have led 



Civil Strife 



295 



I 



the young men of the South to battle ; I have seen 
many of them fall under my standard. I shall de- 
vote my life now to training young men to do their 
dutv in life." 




LEE OX HIS HORSE "TRAVELER" 



296 History oi^ the: United Statks 

SUGGESTIONS 

Write the story of Robert E. Lee, using the following 
topics : 

1. Early life. 

2. Military leadership. 

3. Traits of character. 

SOMETHING TO READ. 
Heroes Every Child Should Know. — (Mabic.) 

SOMETHING TO RE^IEMBER 

He believed that the greatest thing that he could do was 
to train young men to do their duty in life. 



Civil Strife 



297 



ULYSSES S. GRANT 
He Led the "Boys in Bhie" 

This military hero came from the sturdy class 
of people which is the main-stay of our country. 
He was born in Ohio in 1822. H(.^ liyecl at a time 
when his military training fitted him for seryice 
in two wars. When he was 
seyenteen his father se- 
cured him an appointment 
as cadet in the Military 
Academy at West Point. 
A military life had no 
charms for him, and he 
undertook the work, not 
because he enjoyed it but 
because he wanted to 
please his father. He, him- 
self, tells us that he neyer 
succeeded in getting squarely at either end of his 
class. He liked best the study of mathematics. His 
early experience with horses seryed him well and 
he soon became one of the expert horsemen among 
his fellow students. General Scott one day yisited 
at West Point, and his commanding appearance 
somehow impressed young Grant, and he felt that 
some day he would occupy a similar position, al- 
though at that time he had no thought of leading a 




ULYSSES S. GRANT 



298 



History of the: Unite:d States 



military life. He was afterwards with General 
Scott in Ms march from the sea to the City of Mex- 
ico. Grant did not believe the United States should 
have engaged in war with Mexico, yet he did his 
duty as a brave soldier. When the war was over 
he returned to St. Louis and married Miss Julia 
Dent, whose brother had been a classmate at West 
Point. For a time they lived at Detroit, but at 
length he was transferred to the Pacific coast. It 
was a long journey in those days to cross the conti- 
nent, and it was thought best that he go without 
his family, leaving his wife and child at his father's 

home in Ohio. After 
three years he resigned 
and came home in July, 
1854. 

From that time to the 
beginning of the Civil 
War, he was engaged in 
various occupations, but 
his education and training had fitted him for a 
military career, and when the call came for volun- 
teers, he offered his services to his country. He was 
first appointed colonel of the Twenty-first regiment 
of Illinois volunteers. He had found the work for 
which he was fitted. As the war progressed it be- 
came known that Grant was the greatest general 
that the Union army had produced. President 
Lincoln had been watching his work and one day 
he sent for him to come to Washington and gave 




GRANT'S BIRTHPLACE 



Civil Strii^e 299 

him command of the Union soldiers. This was 
a great responsibility to be given to one man, but 
Grant had already won the reputation of doing 
Avhatever he set out to do. His soldiers used to 
sing : 

"Ulysses leads the van ! 
Ulysses leads the van ! 
For we will dare 
To follow where 
Ulysses leads the van." 

There came a day when he no longer asked his 
soldiers to follow him in battle. After the sur- 
render of General Lee 's army, he arranged to bring 
the war to an end as quickly as possible. His 
simj^le words, ^^Let us have peace'' were voiced 
by people in all sections of the country. It was 
accepted and later confirmed by Congress that here- 
after in no part of our United States could slaves 
be owned. Other nations since then have seen the 
wisdom of this act and have followed our example, 
until to-day no nation of the world engages in the 
traffic in slaves. 



300 History of the: United States 

SUGGESTIONS 

Compare the boyhood of General Grant with that of Gen- 
eral Lee. 

In what two wars did Grant serve? 

Find out what you can about West Point. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
Century Book of Famous Americans. — (Brooks.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
Ulysses S. Grant has been called the "Silent Leader." 



NATIONAL PROSPERITY 

THE ATLANTIC CABLE 
It Bound Together the Old World and the New 

Since the discovery of America no better method 
of communication with the Old World had been 
found than that of sending messages on vessels or 
steamers. The slow going sail vessel had been 
replaced by the more up- 
to-date steamer, but even 
this was slow compared 
with the lightning rapid- 
ity of the telegraphic cur- 
rent. The principal cities 
of the United States were 
connected by the Morse 
telegraph, and as early as ^ , 
1847, the telegraph was ^^^/W^ ^ 
introduced into Germany, yW ^ 7 "^ 
and soon its use was spread gyrus w. field 

over the entire Continent of Europe. London and 
New York were still without speedy communica- 
tion. It was proposed to build a telegraph 
line to connect the two hemispheres. A Russian- 
American telegraph company was formed. The 




302 History of th^ United Stati:s 

line was to start at some point in Russia and was 
to extend to Bering Straits across the wilds of 
Siberia, where no railroad at that time had been 
built. That messages could be transmitted under 
water had already been proved. Professor Morse 
had stretched a wire under the water from Castle 
Garden, New York City, to Governor's Island and 
ten years later a submarine telegraph had been 
built connecting England with the continent of 
Europe. It was believed that a short cable might 
be laid to Russian- America, for Alaska had not 
then been purchased by the United States. The 
difficulties to be overcome in reaching the mainland 
from the remote Aleutian Islands and the under- 
taking of crossing the Roeky Mountains, where at 
that time no railroads had been built, were all for- 
gotten in the great desire to connect the commercial 
centers of the two hemispheres. 

All these plans were given up when it was an- 
nounced that the Atlantic cable had been com- 
pleted. Several people had believed that the At- 
lantic cable was a worthy undertaking, but it re- 
mained for Cyrus W. Field, to bring the work to 
completion. He had formerly built up a pros- 
perous paper-manufacturing business in New York, 
but had retired. He was solicited for funds to help 
complete the laying of a cable from Newfoundland 
to the mainland, and became interested in the 
undertaking, and soon came to the conclusion that 
Newfoundland was the best starting point for a 



National Prospkrity 303 

cable to Ireland. In London, he organized the 
Atlantic Telegraph Company and showed his faith 
in the undertaking bv subscribing for one-fourth 
of the stock. He received aid from both the gov- 
ernments of Great Britain and the United States. 
The first attempt to lay the cable was made in 
1857. The Niagara and the Agamemnon sailed 
from Yalentia Bay, Ireland, each carrying one 
thousand and two hundred fifty miles of cable. 
All went well for several days but soon came the 
cry, ^^Stop her! the cable has parted!'' The vessels 
returned to Ireland and an attempt was made to 
splice the cable but to no effect. The next year 
another effort was made to lay the cable. This 
time the same vessels were used, but they sailed to 
mid ocean and then spliced the ends of the cable and 
sailed away from each other, the Agamemnon going 
to Ireland and the Niagara to Newfoundland. On 
the 17th of August, the ends were connected and 
Yalentia, the town of Ireland was in communication 
with Heart's Content, the fishing hamlet of New- 
foundland. ^^ Europe and America are united by 
telegraph. Glory to God in the highest ; on earth 
peace; Good will toward men," was flashed under 
the ocean. Other messages followed. The Queen 
of England sent the following salutation to the 
president : ' ' The Queen congratulates the President 
on an undertaking which she hopes may serve 
as an additional bond of union between the United 
States and England." To this message, the Presi- 



304 History of the United States 

dent responded by saying : V The President of the 
United States acknowledges with profound grati- 
fication the receipt of Her Majesty's dispatch, and 
cordially reciprocates the hope that the cable which 
now unites the eastern and western hemispheres 
may serve to strengthen and to perpetuate peace 
and amity between the Grovernment of England and 
the Republic of the United States. ' ' The American 
people were enthusiastic and many declared that 
the Atlantic Cable was the greatest achievement of 
the age. Their rejoicing was short lived for in 
eighteen days the cable ceased to work. 

Mr. Fields had used his fortune and funds were 
not easily available, for our own country by this 
time was engaged in our great civil strife. A few" 
years elapsed, but all the while Mr. Fields was 
thinking and planning for another trial. At last a 
new cable was prepared. Every precaution was 
taken to make it strong. 

The largest vessel in the world, the Great Eastern 
w^as engaged to carry and lay the cable. On July 
23rd, 1865, the steamer started from Ireland. Every 
thing went well until they were more than a thou- 
sand miles fro mthe starting place when the cable 
parted. Nine days were spent in grappling for it, 
but to no purpose. 

The next year the Great Eastern again left Ire- 
land with a new cable on board. In fourteen days, 
it arrived at Heart's Content. July 27th, 1886, was 



National Prosperity 305 

a happy day for Cyrus W. Field. He wrote his 
friends in New York: '^Heart's Content, July 27. 
We arrived here at nine o 'clock this morning. All 
well. Thank God, the cable is laid and is in perfect 
working order. Cyrus W. Field. ' ' 

The first European message flashed across the 
waters was the announcement that a treaty of peace 
between Austria and Prussia had just been signed. 
This was a fitting climax for one of the world's 
greatest achievements. From that day to this there 
has been constant telegraphic communication be- 
tween the Old World and the New. 




THE GREAT EASTERN AT HEART'S CONTENT 

SUGGESTIONS 
Tell the story of the advantages of the Atlantic cable. 
Where is Heart's Content? 
Where is Valentia Bay? 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 
The Atlantic cable put the United States in speedy com- 
munication with other countries of the world. 



306 



History of the United States 



THE PURCHASE OF ALASKA 
Russia Sold a Valuable Possession 

Two years after the close of the great civil strife, 
the United States again enlarged her territory. 
This time it was at the extreme northwestern part 
of North America. We had sent men to find out 
the possibility of connecting the United States 




MOUNT McKINLEY 



with Asia by means of telegraphic communication. 
It was found that Alaska, or Russian America, as 
it was then called, had great possibilities. The pine 
and cedar forests were among the finest in the 



National ProspKrity 



307 



world, and the fisheries, including the seal island, 
were valuable. 

William H. Seward, secretary of state, began 
to make arrangements to purchase this new terri- 
tory. On March 30, 1867, he completed the treaty 
and we paid Russia seven million two hundred 
thousand dollars for this territory. It contains 
five hundred and eighty thousand square miles, or 
an area larger than the thirteen original states. It 




MAP OF ALASKA 



is about one-fifth the size of the United States, or 
nearly equal to the combined areas of the New En- 
gland, Middle and Southern states east of the Miss- 
issippi. 

This vast territory is far from being the barren 
region that it was supposed to be. It is rich in coal, 



308 History oi^ the United States 

forests, precious metals, fish, and furs. Its agri- 
cultural possibilities are also important. 

Alaska has paid for itself many times, and only 
a beginning has been made in its development. Its 
annual output of gold is worth more than the price 
we paid for it. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why is Alaska valuable to us? 
What country owned Alaska? 
Tell why you would or would not like to live in Alaska ? 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

We gave Russia seven million two hundred thousand dollars 
for Alaska. 



National Prospe:rity 309 



TROUBLE WITH SPAIN 
We Gaz^e Cuba the Protection of Our Government 

The mention of the word Spain takes us back to 
the earliest history of our country. We can well 
remember with what cruelty and selfishness she 
planted her first colonies in this country. This 
same cruel and selfish spirit had been shown 
throughout all of her associations with her colonists 
here. As time passed she lost her territory and in 
1819 we purchased from her all that remained of 
her claim to the region now occupied by the United 
States, but she retained her authority in the West 
Indies. Her rule there was so oppressive that for 
many years the island of Cuba was in a state of con- 
stant rebellion. In 1895 a part of the people of 
Cuba succeeded in establishing a native govern- 
ment. Spain, fearful lest it might some day ask 
for independence, sent over a governor-general who 
was more cruel and oppressive than any who had 
ruled before him. He compelled the farmers to go 
into the towns to live and then he destroyed their 
croi3S and their buildings. The Cubans suffered 
much, but at last their oppression passed the bounds 
of endurance and they rebelled. They had at their 
very door the example of the freedom of the United 
States and it made them long for such a life. Many 



310 History of the: Unitkd States 

people in our country said that Spain sliould be 
compelled to treat lier subjects more humanely, 
but while Spain knew that our people felt and 
thought she was doing wrong, yet she paid no at- 
tention to our entreaties. She did not realize that 
in our country the voice of the people is the highest 
authority. She did not understand that the people 
speak and that then the order is made through 
some official representative of the people. 




THE "MAINE" ENTERING HAVANA HARBOR 

The order came for the battleship Maine to make 
a visit to Havana harbor, because American citizens 
and American interests were in danger. One night 
in February, 1898, this battleship was blown up, it 
is believed, by the authority of Spain, and over 
two hundred and sixty lives were lost. Our govern- 
ment tried to settle peaceably with Spain, but could 
not succeed. President McKinley sent a message 



National Prosperity 311 

to congress in which he said, ^'In the name of 
humanity and civilization, the war must stop. ' ' In 
Aj^ril congress formally declared war against 
Spain. We did not want to make Cuba a part of 
the United States, but we did demand that Spain 
make an end of her inhuman treatment of the Cu- 
bans. The navies of Spain and of the United States 
were about equal. The advantage, if any was in 
favor of Si3ain, but the men Avho manned our vessels 
were superior marksmen and were Americans, 
which means the embodiment of the world's best 
manly qualities. We were fighting not for glory or 
for the extension of our territory, but for the cause 
of humanity and of the 
ox^pressed. The first vic- 
tory was won by Commo- 
dore Dewey who was the 
farthest from home. He 
had made every prepa- 
ration for war while in 
the harbor at Hong 
Kong, China. The or- 
der was sent him to go 
to Manila, in the Phil- 
ippines. That was Spain's great island possession 
and his instructions were to capture or destroy the 
Spanish fleet in the Philii^pines. 

Commodore Dewey was a man well suited to meet 
this emergency. He had seven well equipped war 




GEORGE DEWEY 



312 History oif the: Unite:d State:s 

ships and two supply boats. When the fleet left 
Hong Kong the English sailors cheered and shouted 
that they were sure that we would win. The flag- 
ship Olympia took the lead. The Spanish fleet lay 
in Manila Bay close under the batteries of Cavite, 
which was sixteen miles from the entrance to the 
harbor. At the entrance to the bay were two islands 
on which were strong fortifications. Commodore 
Dewey well understood what it meant to meet 
defeat, for he was nearly eight thousand miles 
away from a home port. There was no place where 
he could replenish his supplies. He must win or 
meet a certain death. Knowing this and under- 
standing perfectly what it all meant, Dewey di- 
rected his fleet to enter the harbor. Silently one 
dark night, with no sound save the throbbing of the 
engines, the Olympia led the way into the harbor. 
They were well into the channel before they were 
discovered. The last vessel in the line sent up a few 
sparks from the coal it was burning and three shots 
were fired from the battery on the island. 

The American sailors slept on the decks beside 
their guns while the ships went toward Manila, 
which is twenty-six miles from the entrance. Dewe}^ 
had expected to find the Spanish fleet in front 
of Manila, but he was disappointed. It was not 
there. He left one vessel and the supply boats in 
the middle of the harbor while he went in search of 
the Spanish fleet. It was early morning. May 1st, 



National Prosperity 313 

when he located the Spanish vessels under the forts 
at Cavite. As Dewey stood on the bridge of the 
Olympia, he quietly said to Captain Gridley, '^ You 
may begin, Gridley, whenever you wish." Every- 
thing was in readiness and the firing began. The 
path of the Americans was in the form of a figure 
eight. They swung back and forth before the Span- 
ish ships, pouring forth their shells with unerring 
aim. After the fifth trip in passing the enemy, 
Dewey signalled his fieet to retire to the middle of 
the bay. The Spaniards thought that the Ameri- 
cans had given up, but they did not know the char- 
acter of the man with whom they were dealing. He 
had simply retired in order that his men might 
have a little rest. He asked for a report of the loss 
of life among his men and only six had been injured. 
The men cheered. After a short rest they returned 
to complete their work. The Petrol, one of the 
smallest vessels in the United States navy did such 
valiant service that the sailors called her "the baby 
battleship. ' ' 

Never had such a naval battle been known. Not 
one of the Spanish ships escaped. All this had been 
done without the loss of a single man on the Ameri- 
can vessels. The Baltimore was the only vessel 
which had received any injury. Six of her crew 
had been injured when a shell entered the side of 
this vessel. 



314 



History of the: Unitkd States 



When it was all over, Dewey turned to his staff 
and said: '^I have the finest lot of men that ever 
step]3ed on shipboard, and their hearts are a^ stout 
as their ships. ' ^ 

When the news of the victory reached the United 
States, there was rejoicing. In all of our history 







f 


^ 




■%^,iy ■ 


V'TT} 


'» |; 


•• J ; , : 


li g i'> 


.'me^^^ 




^.•i.Tf 



CUBA GIVEN THE PROTECTION OF THE UNITED STATES 



there had never been anything quite like it, and 
no one could f orsee that within a few weeks a simi- 
lar victory was to be won off the coast of Cuba. 
It was said of the sailors on board those ships : ' ^ So 
long as the enemy showed his flag they fought like 
American seamen, but when the flag came down 
they were as gentle and tender as American 
women." 



National Prosperity 315 

These two battles reduced the Spamsh navy. San- 
tiago soon surrendered to General Shafter and in 
less than thirty days Spain asked the United States 
for terms of peace. As a result of this conflict, 
Porto Rico, Guam, one of the Ladrone Islands and 
the Philippine Islands were given to the United 
States, and Cuba, for whom the contest was waged, 
was granted independence under the protection 
of the United States. 

Four years later, in 1902, our country gave Cuba 
a constitution and withdrew from the island. In 
1906 we were compelled to occupy it a second time 
in order to prevent a civil war. When the Cuban 
Republic was re-established in 1909, we once more 
left the island. The spirit of self-government has 
been a slow growth among the peoplq^of this island, 
and the outcome yet remains to be known. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Why did we declare war with Spain? 

Describe the scene in Manila Bay? 

Difficult words — oppress, humane, inhuman, embody. 

SOMETHING TO READ 
The Hero of Manila. — (Johnson.) 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The United States stopped the Spanish oppression of the 
Cubans. 

We gave Cuba the protection of our government. 



316 History of the: United States 



THE HAWAHAN ISLANDS 
Our First Island Possession 

For many years it was thought to be an unwise 
plan for our country to own territory except land 
on the continent. It even required considerable 
time for the people of the United States to feel that 
the purchase of Alaska was a wise undertaking. 
Nothing more was done to extend our territory for 
more than thirty years after the purchase of Alaska 
in 1867. 

The year 1898 marks the beginning of our island 
ownership. During this year we stepped from our 
mainland and planted our flag on islands of both 
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Up to this time 
we had owned no land lying within the tropics. Not 
until we purchased Alaska did we have any land 
within the frigid zone. Now boys and girls may 
have their homes in either of the great zones and 
still live in the United Sfates. 

The Hawaiian Islands became a part of our coun- 
try not by conquest or purchase but because the 
people of these islands wanted to become a part of 
our United States. These islands were discovered 
by Captain Cook, an Englishman, in 1778. The 
natives believed that he was a god from heaven and 
they treated him with the greatest honor. They 
even gave him their priceless royal feather mantle 



National Prospkrity 317 

made from the golden yellow feathers of a little 
bird. He named the group the Sandwich Islands 
after his old friend Lord Sandwich of England. The 
people never adopted the British name, but con- 
tinued to use the name Hawaii. 

The natives of these islands learned to know 
about our country and other countries through 
missionaries who went to live among them. Grad- 
ually they did away with their idol worship and 
their savage life. Many people from the United 
States went to live on these islands. Appreciating 
what has been done for them, they have adopted 
as their national motto the following: '^The life 
of the country is in righteousness. ' ' 

By a joint resolution of Congress, July 7th, 1898, 
these islands, with a territory a little less than 
that of New Jersey, were annexed to the United 
States. On August the twelfth, the same day on 
which we ceased warring with Spain, formal pos- 
session by the United States was taken of these 
islands. 

SUGGESTIONS 

Locate on your maps the islands that belong to the United 
States. 

Why are the Hawaiian Islands so valuable to us? 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

Land belonging to the United States can be found in either 
the torrid, the temperate or the frigid zone. 



318 History of the: United Statks 



THE PANAMA CANAL 
The Land Divided — The World United 

The narrow neck of land connecting North and 
South America suggests a strange mingling of the 
fifteenth century with that of the twentieth. Its 
history goes back to the time when Columbus on his 
last voyage believed that he could find a strait 
that would allow him to sail to his long sought 
India. It remained for the unhappy Balboa, who 
had come to the Gulf of Darien concealed in a cask, 
to first cross the Isthmus of Panama, in September, 
1513. 

— ''With eagle eyes 
He stared at the Pacific, — and all his men 
Looked at each other with a wild surmise, — 
Silent, upon the peak in Darien." 

Six years later the city of Panama was founded. 
This was not the same city that now stands on the 
Pacific side of our Panama Canal zone. The old 
city was destroyed by Henry Morgan, the Welch 
buccaneer, in 1671. An old church tower is almost 
all that now remains of the old city. 

There are ancient legends among the natives of 
Central America that once there was a waterway 
across the isthmus and that it was closed by volcanic 
action. It would make a long list to give the names 
of all of the explorers who sought the ^^ Secret of 
the Strait." When it became known that there 



National Prosperity 



319 



was BO waterway from ocean to ocean the Span- 
iards built a road over which goods could be car- 
ried on pack horses from ships on one ocean to 
those on the other. 




THE CULEBRA CUT, PANAMA CANAL 

Hundreds of years passed and all the while the 
rulers of Spain talked and planned for a canal 
across the isthmus, but nothing was done toward 
the undertaking. Then came the revolution in 
Panama. The people of Panama and of the coun- 
tries on either side of it determined that they would 
no longer be under the control of Spain. They rose 
in revolt and established independent republics. It 
then seemed more likely that some nation could ob- 
tain permission to build a canal across the isthmus. 



320 History of thk United Statks 

When gold was discovered in 'California our 
country became anxious to have a short route to the 
rich gold fields of the west. We did not then have 
a railroad across the continent. It was proposed 
to get permission from the people of Panama to 
build a railroad across the Isthmus. Our plan was 
to sail down the Atlantic in our ships, cross the 
isthmus in cars, and then take the ships on the 
Pacific that would carry us to these rich gold fields. 
It was a difficult undertaking, but permission was 
secured from the Eepublic of Columbia and after 
many hardships the road was completed. Those 
who crossed the Isthmus on the railroad paid 
twenty-five dollars for a ride of only forty-eight 
miles. This road connected the city of Panama 
on the Pacific coast with Colon or Aspinwall, as it 
used to be called on the Atlantic. 

As time passed people began to talk more and 
more about a canal. This interest was not confined to 
our country. Many people in France believed that 
the canal could be built. They selected the famous 
engineer DeLesseps to take the work in charge. 
He had already shown his ability by constructing 
the Suez Canal. A large amount of money was 
raised and about two-fifths of the work was com- 
pleted. Through extravagance and mismanage- 
ment the people of France lost faith in the imder- 
taking. When the money had all been used, no 
more could be raised to complete the work. 



National Prospe:rity 321 

Early in the year 1904, Panama withdrew from 
Cohmibia and became an independent republic. 
Soon the United States made knoAyn her desire to 
purchase the strip of land through which the pro- 
posed canal was to pass. We gaye to the new re- 
public ten million dollars for the right of way 
for the canal and for a perpetual lease of a strip 
ten miles wide and extending three miles into the 
sea at either end of the canal. This strip is called 
the Canal Zone. We were also to haye use of all 
lands outside of the Canal Zone that were necessary 
for the construction of the canal. 

As soon as the official papers were signed the 
people of this Canal Zone became as truly citizens 
of our United States as are the people who liye in 
either of our forty-eight states, or our islands of 
the sea. 

After expert engineers had made a careful exam- 
ination of the canal, the United States paid France 
the sum of forty million dollars for the work that 
had been done by De Lesseps. Work on the canal 
Ayas undertaken in the true American spirit. The 
Isthmain Canal Commission was authorized by con- 
gress and appointed by the president of the United 
States. To George Washington Goethels, the chief 
engineer, and his helpers, belongs the honor of ac- 
complishing the greatest engineering undertaking 
that the world has known. A medal, made from 
the bronze dredges used by De Lesseps, has been 
giyen to each American who worked continuously 



322 History of the United States 

for two years on the canal. The canal builders 
themselves selected the design. On one side is the 
head and shoulders of Theodore Roosevelt. The 
other side has a picture of the finished canal with 
vessels making the long sought shorter voyage to 
India, and near the top is the motto: ^^The land 
divided — the world united. ' ' 

SUGGESTIONS 

Explain the advantage of the canal to the United States. 
Why are other countries interested in the canal? 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 

The Panama Canal made possible the long sought shorter 
route to India. 



INDEX 



Abraham, Plains of, 146, 147 

Adams, John, 217, 227, 228 

Adams, Samuel, 161 

''Alamo," 271-274 

Alaska, Purchase of, 306-307 

Albany, 95 

Alexander, 88 

Allegheny Eiver, 133 

Amsterdam, 58 

Annapolis, 205 

Appalachian Mountains, 133 

Arkansas River, 127 

Articles of Confederation, 208, 
209 

Atlantic Cable, 301-305 

Bahama Islands, 45 

Bonaparte, Napoleon, 231, 234 

''Bonhomme Richard," 200 

Boston, 152, 157-162 

Braddock, 145 

Bradford, Governor, 86 

Brewster, Elder, 87 

Burgoyne, General, 198, 199 

Bute, Earl of, 153 

Cabildo, 233, 234 

Cabot, John, 38, 40 
! Cabot, Sebastian, 40 
' Cambridge, 190 

Carson, Kit, 277 

Cartier, James, 51 

Carver, John, 83, 86 
I Cathay, 8, 59 
' Cavalier, 113 

Charles II., 101 



Chesapeake Bay, 57, 60 

Civil Strife, 283-299 

Claiborne, C. C, 234, 325 

Clark, William, 237-239 

''Clermont," 264, 265 

Cod, Cape, 83 

Colonies, English, 109-111 

Colonies, Middle, 116-117 

Colonies, New England, 117-119 

Colonies, Southern, 116, 120 

Colonies, Thirteen, 110-121 

Colony, Dutch, 92-100 

Colony, First New England, 80 

Colony, First English, 73 

"Columbia, the Gem of the 

Ocean," 43 
Columbus, Christopher, 2-37 
Concord, 181 

Congress, First Continental, 162 
Constitution, 212 
"Constitution," 252 
Continental Army, 190 
Continental Congress, 193 
Cornwallis, 195-196-197, 203, 204 
Cotton-gin, 261-263 
Courant, New England, 168 
"Croatan," 69 
Cuba, 37 

Cuba, Protection of, 309-315 
Dare, Virginia, 68, 69 
"Dartmouth," 160 
"Daughters of Liberty," 158 
Dearborn, Fort, 249, 250, 251 
Dearborn, General Henry, 249 



!24 



Index 



Declaration of Independence, 178, 

194, 195 
Delaware Bay, 57 
Delaware Eiver, 195-196 
Dewey, George, 311-314 
D 'Iberville, 229 

Dinwiddle, Governor, 138, 142, 143 
''Discovery," 59 
Dorchester Heights, 192 
Duquesne, Fort, 145 
Elizabeth, Queen, 64, 66 
Embargo Act, 246 
Fairfax, Lord, 135 
Field, Cyrus W., 302-305 
First Spanish Governor, 230 
Fleur-de-lis, 51 
Fort Amsterdam, 100 
Fort Christiana, 97 
Fort Orange, 94 
Franklin, Benjamin, 164-179 
French and Indian War, 132-142 
Fulton, Eobert, 264, 265 
Gage, General, 157, 182 
Gates, General, 199 
Gama, Vasco da, 6 
George II., 132 
Genoa, 5 

Gist, Christopher, 138, 140, 141 
Goethals, George W., 321 
Grant, Ulysses S., 297-299 
"Great Eastern," 304- 305 
"Great Meadows," 143 
Greenland, 59 

Grenville, Sir Eiehard, 66, 67 
"Guerriere," 252 
Haiti, 32 
Half-King, 137 
"Half-Moon," 56, 57, 58 
Hawaiian Islands, 316, 317 
Heart's Content, 305 
Henry, Prince, 5, 6, 8 



"Hessians," 195-196 

Hochelaga, 52, 53, 54 

Hudson, Henry, 56 

Hudson Eiver, 94 

Hull, General, 251 

Illinois, meaning of, 127 

Independence, growth of, 149-151 

Independence Hall, 189 

India, 1, 2 

Indians, Mohawk, 161 

Island Possessions, 315, 316, 317 

Jackson, Andrew, 257-260 

James Eiver, 75 

Jamestown, 73 

Jefferson, Thomas, 225-228 

Jesuit, 125 

Joliet, 125-128 

Kearney, General, 277 

Keith, Governor, 172 

Key, Francis Scott, 255 

Lafayette, Marquis de, 199, 223 

Lane, Ealph, 66 

La Salle, Eobert de, 129-131 

Lee, Eobert E., 292-295 

Lewis, Meriwether, 237-239 

Lexington, 183 

Lincoln, Abraham, 283-290 

London Company, 73, 74, 76, 78 

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 

191 
Louisiana, Purchase of, 229-236 
McLean, Alexander, 104 
"Maine," Battleship, 310 
Manhattan, island of, 95 
Manila, battle of, 311-314 
Marion, General, 202 
Marquette, 125-128 
"Mason and Dison," 104 
Massasoit, 87, 88 
Matagorda, 130 
"Matthew," 39 



Inde:x 



325 



' ' Mayflower, ' ' 83, 84, 85 

''Minute Men," 181 

Meridith, 173 

Mexico, war with, 275-281 

Miama Tribe, 136 

Miniiit, Peter, 97 

Mississippi Eiver, 126 

Missouri River, 127 

Monongahela Elver, 133 

Montcalm, 147 

Monticello, 241 

Montreal, 54, 138 

Morse, Samuel F. B., 266-269 

Mount McKinley, 306 

Mount Vernon, 203-206 

Nevelle, Joseph, 104 

New France, 54, 122, 124 

New Netherland, 93 

New Orleans, "battle of, 259 

New Sweden, Surrender of, 97 

Newfoundland, 56 

Nicolls, Colonel, 100 

Oglethorpe, James, 109 
Ohio Company, the, 133 
Old South Church, 160 
Orient, 32 
Oxford, College of, 102 

Pacific Ocean, 1 

Panama Canal, 319-320 

Panama, Isthmus of, 36, 318-321 

Patroon, 94 

Paul Jones, 200 

Penu, William, 102-108 

Philadelphia, 152, 171-179 

Philip, King, 88-90 

Philippine Islands, 315 

Pilgrim, 81 

Pitcairn, 184 

Pitt, William, 146, 154, 155 



Plymouth Company, 73 

Plymouth, town of, 80, 81 

Pocahontas, 78 

Polo, Marco, 8 

Ponce de Leon, 44-46 

Powhatan, 78 

''President" American Frigate, 

247 
Puritan, 81 

Quebec, 130 

Ealeigh, Sir Walter, 63-71 

Read, Deborah, 172 

Revere, Paul, 182, 183 

Revolution, First Days of, 181-186 

Roanoke, Island of, 74 

Rolfe, John, 78 

St. Augustine, town of, 60 

St. Lawrence, Gulf of, 51 

St. Malo, 51 

"Sandy Hook," 57 

Santa Anna, 272, 273 

Saulte Ste. Marie, 123 

Scott, Winfield, 276 

Separatist, 81 

"Serapis," 200 

Smith, John, 76-78 

"Sons of Liberty," 152 

Soto, Ferdinand de, 47-50 

Spain, trouble with, 309-315 

"Speedwell," 83 

Stamp Act, 152-156 

Standish, Miles, 83 

Steamboat, first, 264, 265 

Stuyvesant, Peter, 95, 98, 99, 100 

Tartary, 8 

Taylor, General, 275 

Tea Party, Boston, 157 

Telegraph, invention of, 266-269 

Texas a Republic, 271-274 



326 



Index 



Turks, 1, 76 

Valentia, town of, 303 

Valley Forge, 198 

Venango, Fort, 140 

Venice, 38 

Vespucius, Americus, 38, 42 

Virginia, Colony of, 76 

Washington, Augustine, 133 



Washington, George, 133-146, 188- 

224 
Washington, Mary, 133 
West India Company, 96 
White, Captain, 68 
Whitney, Eli, 261,263 
Wolfe, General, 146, 147 
Yorktown, 203 



RD- 5 



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